Taken
by Ms.Hale
Summary: When the child of one of the wealthiest families in Forks is kidnapped Edward Mason and Isabella Swan take the case, but when the kidnapping is followed by mortifying silence, the Cullens and the cops start thinking the worse. It's the perfect kidnapping, but something isn't right about it. One week. No ransom. Nothing. How do they expect to find her when they have no leads?
1. The Cullen Family

Successful. Billionaire. Professional. Brilliant. Powerful. Assertive. Resourceful. Competitive. Ambitious.

The wealthy Cullen family owned a worldwide magazine known as Twilight and a local newspaper known as Eclipse that's been around for more than five generations.

The patriarch of the Cullen clan is Carlisle Cullen. He's the only child of his late parents Eleanor and George Cullen. Carlisle, also known as the golden boy, during his 20s was a ladies' man before finally settling down with the woman of his dreams, Esme Platt, now Cullen.

Esme Platt grew up on the rough side of Forks. The only child of Mary and Walter Platt, Esme was the golden girl, not to the state of Washington, but just to her parents. Now she and her husband preside over Twilight and Eclipse. She designed the interior of the Cullen offices and she's the head of the advice column. Although Carlisle has the final say over what will be published in the newspaper and magazine, he always consults his wife. He values her opinions.

Emmett Cullen, their oldest child is the head of the sports section. His younger sister, by a year, is the head of the arts and entertainment section. Alice's husband, who is also Emmett's best friend, is Jasper Hale. He's in charge of the international news. Jasper's younger sister and Emmett's wife is Rosalie Hale, who is the head of the cover page stories.

Jasper and Rosalie Hale, children of Diana and the late Ezra Hale, knew the worth of a dime. They weren't raised with the best things, and they never complained. Jasper had to get a job early in life after the death of their father, who was the breadwinner in the household. His father trusted him to care after his mother and sister. His first job was as a busboy at a restaurant that closed down a few years ago. After her house almost foreclosed, Diana sought out a job and was soon hired by Esme as the health section columnist. Diana being hired was the first step towards Jasper and Rose meeting Emmett and Alice.

Alice and Jasper have been married for 17 years, and have been together for 20. Together, they have three children, 17 year old Claire and 14 year old twin sons named Peter and Collin. Rosalie and Emmett have been married for 16 years, and have been together for 19. Together, they have four children, 16 year old Joshua, 14 year old Samuel, ten year old Jared and five year old Lillian. The Cullen-Hale family are a close knit group who stick together through it all. They overcome challenges and remain headstrong as they're faced with obstacles, hopefully this is just another obstacle they can overcome.


	2. A Day In The Life

**Rosalie:**

"Dinner!"

Jared was the first to the table, followed by my husband, then Lillian and lastly Sam and Josh.

I rustled Josh's blonde hair, and pouted, "What have you done to your hair?"

"Mom, don't freak out!" Josh pulled a seat out before sitting down, "I just wanted to try something different. I slicked it back," he must have noticed the expression on my face, "but don't worry, I'm not keeping it this way. The girls don't dig the Elvis look."

We began passing the dishes around the table as we made our plates. Lily sat between me and Emmett, and perked up at the sight of her nanny entering the room.  
"I'm back." Nina's think Mexican accent sometimes made it hard for us to understand. She stuck to saying simple sentences in order to accommodate us. Over the last five years, we've grown accustomed to her enunciation, which in the end allowed her to speak longer sentences at a faster pace.

Lily bounced in her seat, "Eat with us! Please!"  
"Is is okay?" Nina looked towards me.

The woman was smart. She looked at me for an answer. Everyone knew, including Nina that I ran the household. My husband may have been the head, but I was the neck that moved the head which ever direction I pleased.  
"Of course." I pointed towards an empty seat, "Winifred, please bring a dish out for Nina."

Lily picked with the food on her plate, "Don't play with your food honey."  
"Mommy, tomorrow Nina is taking me to the park!" Lily announced, clapping her hands, excitedly.

Emmett stared down at the food he was eating, and replied, "Which one?"  
"Forks National."  
"She needs to be back here by four." Nina nodded.

I grabbed Lily's fork and knife as I watched her struggle with her steak. I stabbed the steak with the fork, as I gently glided the knife back and forth over the tender meat. Lily watched happily as the beef was cut up into smaller chunks.  
"I signed you up for football Sam," Sam smirked and pounded his fist into the air, "and Jared I signed you up for soccer." Emmett informed, before taking a sip of his white wine.

Lily rolled her eyes at her older brother, "Football is boring! You should have done ballet!"  
"You only think that because you're a girl," Jared jumped to his brother's defense, "and girls can't play football."  
"I don't like football either sweetheart." I high-fived my daughter.

After finishing the remainder of our dinner and joking around a little longer, the kids went up to get ready for bed.  
"Night mom." Sam waved as he exited the dining room.

I stacked the plates up, before noticing Lily waiting under the threshold of the dining room, "I'll be up there to tuck you in. Nina," I looked over to her nanny, "help her get ready for bed."

Nina stooped low and allowed Lily to climb onto her back. My little girl clung on for dear life as Nina whispered a few Spanish words to her.

"You do know we hire people to do this, right?" Emmett pulled me away from the table, "Let them do their job."

Winifred came over and grabbed the stack of dishes I piled up. She soon disappeared into the kitchen, before reappearing to collect the silverware.  
I pecked my husband's cheek, "It helps me clear my mind." I took the rag from Winifred before turning to the table, "It's a cheap version of therapy."

I leaned over to wipe the table, before feeling a sharp slap against my ass. I dropped the rag and stood up tall. Emmett raised his brow and winked, "Just because we have four children doesn't mean the spark is gone in this marriage!"  
"Winifred!" I called her back into the dining room.  
"Yes Mrs. Cullen?"

I handed her the rag without once taking my eyes off of my husband. Emmett raised his hands into the air, and backed out of the dining room. "Get back here Em!" I kicked off my high-heels and went after him.

Emmett raced to the living room, and found himself cornered. I stood at the only entrance and exit to our living room. He realized he was stuck, and raised his hands into the air once again, "I admit defeat."  
"Oh no," I shook my head and smirked, "you're going to have to pay."  
"But I admitted defeat!"  
"After I tuck the kids in, I'm coming for you. And I'm expecting payment."

Emmett crossed the living room, and stood in front of me, "How much?"  
"That's the thing," I slowly backed out of the living room, "I'm not expecting it in cash."

Emmett flashed me a toothy, dimpled smile as I descended up the stairs. The first stop was my eldest son Joshua's room. Without knocking, I turned the knob and walked inside.

Joshua stood in front of the mirror combing his hair. He attempted to comb out whatever gel he used to slick it back.  
"You do know, you're full of yourself?"  
Josh shrugged his shoulders, "But the girls love it."

He turned around to smile, revealing a dimpled grin mirroring his father's. Joshua managed to get most of the gel out before disappearing into his bathroom.  
"Lights out in five, we have a big day tomorrow!" I departed his bedroom and closed the door behind me.

Next up was my second oldest, Samuel. I don't knock on any of my children's doors because none of them should be locked. I slowly opened his door and watched a live show he was performing. He stood in front of his mirror pretending to play guitar as his earphones blasted rock music into his ears.

"Sam." I entered his room.  
He didn't hear me. "Sam." I walked towards him.  
He still didn't hear me.  
I gripped his ear phone and yanked it out of his ear, "Samuel!"

"Sorry mom," He quickly turned his iPod off, "I didn't hear you come in."  
"I could see that, how was the show?" He smirked and blushed knowing that I caught him, "Did the audience give you a standing ovation?" I nodded my head towards the mirror.

"Mom stop!" Sam exclaimed, tossing the iPod onto his bed, "You're embarrassing!"  
"Alright, but next time your iPod needs to be turned down. I would prefer it if my son didn't go deaf." I smiled as he nodded his head, "If I could sing along to what song you are listening to, then it's too loud. I'm sure you would enjoy hearing your name called at your high school graduation."

Sam smirked before I pecked his cheek. He put his iPod away before crawling into bed.  
"Night mom."  
"Goodnight Sammy." I flicked off his bedroom light.

My next arrival was at Jared's room. His door was wide open, but he was nowhere in sight. I walked further into his room, and noticed his bathroom door wide open. Jared hummed a tune inside of the bathroom as he leaned towards the mirror.  
"Why are you shaving?" I glanced down at Joshua's shaving cream on the counter, "You're only ten."  
"Dad shaves," I snatched the razor out of his hand, "and Joshua shaves too."

I grabbed tissue from the roll and began wiping the cream off of his face, "They're older Jared. And they actually grow hair on their face."

Jared pouted as his eyes followed the tissue into the trashcan, "Mom, I'm not a little boy anymore."  
"You'll always be my little boy," I tapped my cheek and waited for my nightly kiss, "good, now it's time to hit the sack."

Jared nodded and crawled into his bed. He pulled the covers over his shoulders as I quietly turned off the light and exited his room. Nightly room checks were always tiring. My children never failed to surprise me. One day it'll be a concert in front of a mirror and the next day it'll be play dancing to the tunes on my daughter's iPod.

I walked past Nina's room and stopped in front of my daughter's. Her bedroom door is never closed. She hates being surrounded by total darkness.  
"What is with your brothers?" I made my presence known as I walked into her room, "They're weird Lily."

Lily laughed as she pulled the covers over her shoulders, "Mommy, they've always been weird."  
"Yeah, you're probably right." I took a seat against the edge of her bed.

Lily sat up confidently and pushed a strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear, "Mommy, boys are weird. It's a known fact!" Lily's bright eyes bore honestly in her words, "Jared, Josh, and Sam are weird. Daddy is weird. Yesterday, grandma and I caught him talking to his car." I smirked at the look Lily was giving me, "Uncle Jasper, grandpa, Collin and Peter are weird. Boys are weird mommy. They are just made that way."

I ran my fingers through her curly hair and smiled, "How did you get so smart?"  
"Because I have the best mommy in the whole, wide world!" Lily threw her arms around my neck and grinned.  
"Thanks for the 411 on boys." I laughed.  
"You're welcome."

"I love you Mommy Pumpkin!" Lily exclaimed, tracing the shape of a heart over my heart, "With all of my heart!"  
I pecked her forehead, "I love you too Lily Bear," I followed her actions and traced a heart over her own heart, "With all of my soul!"

Lily laid back and shut her eyes. I turned off her bedside lamp, but kept her bedroom door wide open.

I walked into my bedroom and saw Emmett inside sitting on the bed. A smile stretched across his face as I kicked my door shut with the heel of my foot.  
"Is it payment time?" He set down his book.  
"It's payment time."

**A/N: **Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.

**-Tiffany.**


	3. Just Another Day

**Emmett:**

The sunlight burst through the drawn open red curtains in our master bedroom. I struggled to ignore the brightness and rolled over to wrap my arm around my wife. Sadly, like every morning, she wasn't in bed.

I peeled my eyes open and spotted Dorothea, "What are you doing?"  
"The missus sent me to open the curtains." She drawn open the other set of drapes, "She said it's time to wake up sir."

I pushed myself up and nodded, "Tell her I'm up."  
Dorothea, our day maid, nodded her head before disappearing out of my bedroom. I pushed myself out of my comfortable king bed and entered the master bathroom. As I brushed my teeth, shaved, showered and got dressed, the smell of breakfast grew stronger and stronger.

"Sir," Dorothea knocked at the door, "I've come to make the bed."  
"Come in." I buttoned the last button of my shirt, "We have a big day today. How do I look?"  
"You look wonderful sir."  
"I hope you aren't just saying that because my wife signs your checks." I smirked.  
"Of course not sir."

I walked down the staircase and entered the dining room. I noticed Nina and all of my children eating breakfast, but I didn't spot my wife. I backed out of the dining room and checked the living room, the bathroom, all of the kids' rooms and even the garage. She was nowhere to be found.

I re-entered the dining room, and sat down, "Daddy are you looking for mommy?" Lily handed Agatha her finished plate.  
"Yes," I stood back up, "have you seen her?"  
"She's in her office."  
"Thanks kitten." I ruffled her hair before jogging out of the dining room.

Today was going to be a busy day. We're hosting a launch party for our new search engine. We already have a magazine and a newspaper, and now we'll be opening our own search web named Breaking Dawn. All of the top corporations that are partners with us are going to be here, as well as wealthy investors.

My wife's office door was wide open. She sat at her desk, with all her attention focused on her laptop screen. Her hair was up in a bun, which held a ball point pen sticking out. Whatever she was reading on her laptop must have been interesting. She didn't even notice me coming in.

I pulled the pen out of her bun, "Why is this in your hair?" Her hair fell down loosely around her shoulders.

She pulled her eyes away from the screen and looked up. "The launch party is today." I reminded, handing back over the pen. Rose walked over to the mirror hanging to the left side of her office, and redid her entire bun.

My arms wrapped around her lower waist, "Are you excited?" She turned around in my embrace and faced me.  
"I'm nervous." I admitted.

Rosalie nodded and sighed before resting her head against my chest. This was an important business party. It could go two ways. It could be very beneficial and kick start the search engine off on the right foot, or it could be very bad and end the search engine before it even started.

Her fingers subconsciously drew shapes into my forearm, "Jasper's nervous for his speech."  
"Why?"  
Rose pulled away and shrugged her shoulders, "Jasper's always nervous."  
"He's given speeches before."  
"It doesn't matter. He's still nervous."

"Mommy! Mommy!" Lily skipped into her office with Jared hot on her heels, "Joshua's girlfriend is here!" Jared nodded to back up his sister's statement.

Rosalie extended one hand towards Lily and the other towards Jared, "Are you guys ready to talk to this chick?" Both Jared and Lily smiled and nodded before grabbing the hand their mother offered towards them.

I followed Rose, Jared and Lily into the living room and saw Sam, Collin and Alice sitting on the long couch. Jasper was sitting in the arm chair, and Claire and Peter were sitting on the opposite, shorter couch. Lillian released her mother's hand and climbed onto Jasper's lap. Rose continued to hold Jared's hand and took a seat in the last arm chair. She pulled Jared onto her lap and ignored his protests. I casually sat down on the arm of the arm chair.

"We came at the perfect time!" Alice bounced up and down in her seat, "Sam told us once we walked in! Now, where's the girl?"  
"She's outside talking to Josh and her dad." Lily informed, leaning into Jasper's arms.

Jasper looked down at Lily, "Why is her father here?" Lily shrugged and looked towards Sam.  
"Bree has never met Josh's parents and Josh has never met Bree's dad. Her mom died a while ago." Sam explained before plugging his earphones into his ears.

Rosalie snapped in Sam's direction, "Pull them out. We have guests." Our second oldest sighed, leaned back into the couch before doing just what his mother said.

When the front door opened and closed, the sound was followed by silence and then feet pattering against the hardwood floor. I crossed my fingers in hopes that they took their shoes off before stepping onto the pearly white carpet. Otherwise Rose will flip and Alice would have an even bigger flip since she decorated and designed the interior of our house. And that would not leave a good first impression on my wife and sister.

"Hey," Joshua entered the living room with his girlfriend and her father, "everybody this is my girlfriend Bree and her dad Riley." As everyone waved, I glanced down at their feet. Luckily for them, their shoes were off. "Bree and Riley, this is my mom Rosalie, my dad Emmett, my uncle Jasper, my aunt Alice, my cousins Claire, Collin, and Peter, my sister Lillian, and my brothers Jared and Sam." Bree waved and smiled at each of us.

Chatting away with Bree and Joshua caused a rift in our plans to head into work early. When Bree entered and made herself comfortable, Lily rose from her uncle's lap. While we discussed important topics with Bree, like her interest in our son, Lily chatted away with her dad. She was making him laugh as hard as anyone could laugh without passing out from lack of oxygen. Bree, on the other hand, wasn't making the best impression with Alice and Rose. She was fine by me and Jasper, and everyone else could care less. Rose and Alice didn't like her for reasons that are unknown to me. Jasper and I just brushed it off, it was probably for the same reason we didn't like Claire's boyfriend.

Nina entered the room, holding up Lily's jacket, "Lillian, are you ready to go to the park?"  
"Yes." Lily hopped up and gave Riley a goodbye hug.

She rushed over to Nina and grabbed her coat, "Let's go!" Lily grabbed Nina's hand.  
"Wait!" Rose extended her arms, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Lily released her nanny's hand and took off running towards her mother. Despite Jared sitting on Rose's lap, she extended her arms for a hug. Jared was just stuck in between.  
"Dad!" Jared exclaimed, pouting as Lily and his mother hugged while he remained in the middle, "This is so girly!"

Lily giggled as she pulled away. She quickly leaned forward and pecked Jared's cheek, "Gross!" She turned to face me and threw her thin arms around my waist. I sat next to her mother, causing Rose to lean over and peck Lily's cheek, "Make sure you button your jacket up." Rose brushed Lily's hair back with her hand.

I lifted her up when Rose finished and placed two kisses on her adorable little face. Her blonde curls caressed her shoulders as I placed one final kiss against her forehead. Once I put her down, she ran to give everyone else a hug and a kiss.

Claire smashed a loving kiss to Lily's cheek causing her to laugh. "Clairey, I'm just going to the park." Once Lily pulled away from Claire, Alice nabbed her into her own arms.

Alice's petite arms held Lily tight, "You are just so adorable! I don't want to let go!"  
"If you don't let go, I won't be able to leave."  
"That's kind of the point." Alice giggled, but finally let go.

Collin and Peter raised their hands into the hair and watched as Lillian struggled to jump and high-five them.  
"No fair." Lily crossed her arms, "You're too tall."

Jasper scooped Lily up and allowed for her to high-five her cousins. Lily loudly cheered and pumped her fist in the air.  
"Thank you Uncle Jasper." Jasper set her back down onto her feet.

Rose pulled a set of car keys out of her pocket, "Are you driving or walking?"  
"Walking." Nina zipped her jacket up.

Lily stood in front of Sam and smiled. He looked up at her from his cell phone, "Fine," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "come here." She walked into his open arms and hugged him tightly.

When Lily stepped back, she smiled and looked around the room. "Did I get everybody?" Josh raised his hand as his sister raced over to him.  
Bree smiled down at Lillian, "She's cute."

Josh nodded in agreement as Lily pecked his cheek, "I'll see you later punk."  
"Alright dork."

Nina stood with her hand extended, "Lily it's time to go."  
Lily raced to her nanny and grabbed her hand. The two soon disappeared out of the house.

Alice crossed her hands over her lap, "Where are you all going today?"  
"Seth and I are catching an early movie." Claire informed while texting away on her cell phone.  
"We were just going to go to the arcade." Collin informed, referring to himself, Peter and Sam.  
Alice shook her head as she rose to her feet, "Alright, but make sure you're here at four."

"What about you two?" Rose asked as Jared hopped off of her lap.  
Joshua looked to Bree and smiled, "We were going to grab something to eat."  
"You just ate." I remarked.  
"I can eat again!" he laughed.  
Rose rubbed my six-packed abdomen, "He eats like his father."

"And you buddy?" Jasper looked to Jared.  
"Winifred is bringing Jason over for us to play." Rose nodded.  
"Who is Jason?" Alice looked at her nephew.  
Jared smirked, "Her grandson."

Alice pulled her purse over her shoulder and clasped her hands together, "Guys, we should really be heading out before daddy calls." Alice was usually right and this time was no different.

I hugged the boys and Claire goodbye before following my wife out of the house. Rose stood on the passenger side, and waited for me to unlock the car.  
"I told Dorothea to make sure Bree and Joshua don't go upstairs." She informed, throwing open the door.  
"Be gentle." I scolded, opening slowly to show for example.

I hopped inside following after my wife, "The boy is 16."  
"And?" Rose quickly looked at me, "I don't care if he's 61, he's not having sex in my house!"  
"61? Really? That's a little extreme."  
Rose shrugged her shoulders, "It can happen." She slammed the car door shut and quickly looked at me, "Sorry Em."

I inhaled a sharp breath, and rubbed the dashboard, "Don't tell me Rose, tell Charlene."  
"Lily's right. Boys are weird."

**A/N: **You continue to review and I continue to update. The next chapter will be the kidnapping so stay tuned and review!

**-Tiffany.**


	4. Taken

Lillian Cullen stood a few feet ahead of her nanny. She hop scotched over the lines of the sidewalk before turning to run back to her nanny's side.

Lily wore a pink dress with small daisies on the bottom half. Her upper torso was covered with a white sweater, that Lily decided to button the center button leaving the top two and bottom three unbuttoned. Lily wore white sandals that matched her feet, which were painted a light pink. Lily's hair was out in soft curls that caressed around her face and fell all the way to the top of her back.  
"Weren't you listening Nina?" Lily looked up at her nanny's face.

Lillian talked mature for her young age of five, but that just made Nina love her even more. She squeezed Lily's petite hand, "I'm always listening Lil." The two continued down the sidewalk away from Forks National Park.  
"So, like I was saying, I did great during my first recital." Lily swung the hand clasped with Nina's back and forth in the air, "The teacher even put me in front of the class. Mommy says ballet is my natural talent. It helps you with your posture and when we finish our routine we ended it with a curtsy and then bowed." Lily released her nanny's hand and walked a little ahead of her.

"Stay where I can see you!" Nina called after her. Lily nodded her head and twirled around in front of her nanny. Her dress lifted in the wind as her arms spread open.

Nina caught up to Lily and grabbed her hand, "So you learn posture in ballet class?"  
"No Nina," Lily laughed, shaking her head causing her blonde curls to bounce around, "you're born with posture, but ballet can help you improve it."  
"Well maybe I should sign up. My mother has always said I had the posture of a one year old."

The two laughed at Nina's statement. Lily turned towards her nanny, wrapped her arms around the young woman's waist, and buried her head into the woman's coat.

The park was only a few blocks away from where they lived. Knowing her parents would be home caused Lillian to become extremely excited. Usually her parents worked until dinner time. Now they were going to be home before she even got there.  
Lily jumped up and down enthusiastically, "Guess what Nina?! Guess what?!"  
"What?"  
"Mommy said that for my birthday I can get a golden retriever, but only if I keep good grades." Lily clasped her hands together as she shined her bright eyes up at her nanny. Lillian's eyes held pure innocence. She looked as if she could do nothing wrong.

Nina pulled Lily to a stop as they approached the crosswalk, "What are you going to name him or her?"  
"It's going to be a her!" Lily chirped as they crossed the street, "I'm going to name her Ariel!"  
"Why Ariel?"  
"After the Little Mermaid silly!" Lily giggled.

Nina found the little girl who she has known since the day she was born very interesting. She was the spark in Nina's life. While their hands swung forward and back, a black minivan pulled up in front of them.

Lily jumped onto the curb, "Voila!" Lillian's hands flew in the air as her finishing stance. Nina came to a stop and clapped for the little girl.

The back doors of the van flew open allowing two people to hop of the vehicle. Nina stared into the man's face and squinted her eyes, "What's the matter?"  
"Nina, who is that?"

The man looked from Nina and down to Lily, "There was an accident. You two need to come with me. It's an emergency." The woman reached for Lily's hand, but she pulled it away.  
"Daddy said not to talk to strangers." Lily informed, crossing her arms, "I don't know you, and that makes you a stranger."

The man scrunched his face up and grabbed the five year old. He threw her light body over his shoulders as he walked back towards the van. Lily screamed at the top of her lungs and stalwartly squirmed under his arms.  
"Put her down!" Nina screamed, following after the man, "What are you doing? Leave us be!"

Lily's small body flew into the back of the van as he tossed her inside. Her small heart-shaped face was flushed red with tears falling down her face. The woman approached Nina and shoved her towards the back of the van, "Get in!"  
"No!" Nina backed slowly away, "I'm calling the cops!"  
"Either shut up and get in or I shoot the girl right in front of you."

Nina's eyes grew watery from the ultimatum. She glanced across the empty street to see a man mindlessly jogging. She caught his attention, and turned in her direction, "Hey!" He crossed the street in a sprint, "Ma'am are you okay?"

The man noticed the fear on Nina's face and the gun positioned in the woman's hand. Fury stretched across his face when he observed the shaken girl in the back of the black van. The jogger came to a stop and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

Nina bit down onto her lip as the kidnapper grabbed her wrist, "Get into the van." Nina watched as he raised the gun and aimed between the jogger's eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of the trigger being pulled. When she reopened them, she saw smoke escaping the gun and the man's body laid sprawled out, face down on the cement.  
"Get inside! Now!"

Nina glanced over her shoulder at Lillian covering her tear-stained face. She quickly obliged and crawled inside. Lily gave her nanny a soft smile and crawled over to her, "I want to go home." Lily rested her head against Nina's chest while silently crying into the coat of her nanny.

**A/N:** Remember to review! They really do mean a lot! Anyway, don't forget to check out my other Twilight stories!

**-Tiffany.**


	5. A Little Too Late

**Carlisle:**

"Tonight we are celebrating the launch of our new search engine over my son's house." I asserted into the speaker on the office phone.

Through the intercom, Elizabeth replied, "Okay, I will take your calls for you sir."

I reached for the manila folder to the right of my desk before heading out of my office. I nodded towards my secretary Elizabeth as I walked past her desk. I ignored the calls of my other employees as I focused on my one and only destination, the conference room. My employees have always wanted to make it big, they never choose the right time to come talk to me about their findings or a scoop that could possibly cause their career to blast through the roof. I rarely ever meet with employees anyway. They usually meet with Esme or Rosalie.

I took a seat at the head of the table and opened the folder, waiting patiently for the room to fill up with Cullens. Rosalie was the first to walk in. She had a gray pencil skirt on with a white button up shirt tucked in. Her hair was in a bun, that a black ball point pen held together. Rose smirked in my direction, as she pulled a seat out, "Carlisle."  
"Hello Rosalie."

Next was Alice who practically pranced her way inside. She had on a black skirt with a purple ruffle shirt that was tucked in. Alice walked over and pecked my cheek before taking a seat next to Rose.

Alice crossed her fingers over her lap, "Dad, where's mom?"  
"She's on her way." I answered, scanning my eyes over the file.

Jasper and Emmett both came in together, laughing up a storm. Jasper was clenching onto his stomach as his face turned a dark red. Both men wore Armani suits and ties took a seat next to their wives.

I glanced down at my watch and saw how fast time was flying. If we were going to make it to Emmett and Rose's house, we needed to quickly start our debriefing.  
"We should start," I began before being interrupted by the sound of the conference door opening. If it was anyone other than my wife, they were in for a world of trouble. Esme rushed into the conference room holding a stack of at least five, thick folders. She had a pen sticking out of her mouth as she rushed into the room.

Emmett rose from his seat in order to take the folders from his mother. Esme stood up straight, pulled the pen out of her mouth, and smiled, "Thank you sweetheart."  
"What is all of that?" I wondered, gesturing towards all of the paperwork.

Esme gave me the most innocent smile she could muster up. From that, I automatically knew what it was.  
"Esme, you can't help everybody." I remarked, shaking my head, "I'm not looking to promote anyone right now, it'll just be a waste of time."

Esme glanced through the windowed walls and into where the employees work, "I promised."  
"I'm sorry honey, but I'm too busy. You know this," I picked my file up, "and they do too."

Alice waved, "Hey mom!"  
"Hi sweetie." Esme adjusted her outfit, before pulling out a seat.

Now I was ready to start, but once I opened my mouth, another person entered. If it was an employee, they were really going to lose their job today. I glanced towards the door and saw Diana Hale quietly entering. I can't fire my in-laws mother. Can I?  
"Sorry for interrupting." Diana glanced towards me, before looking at her daughter, "I just came from meeting up with the accountant."

I dropped the file onto the table, "Did you handle everything?"  
"Yes," Diana nodded and smiled, "we finished everything today thank God. I'm exhausted, but I still have to help Alec and Jane arrange tonight's appetizers. I just came to tell you all that I'm leaving."

Rose stood from her seat, "Mom, please call the boys to make sure they are on their way home. They have to shower and get dressed."  
"Of course." Diana nodded, "What about Lily?"  
"Nina took her to the park and should have her home around four."

Once Diana disappeared from the conference room, I glanced back at my family. They each held an exhausted look. Today has been a busy day. From handling office work, and making sure tomorrow's newspaper and magazine were ready to be issued to making sure everything at my son and daughter-in-law's house was on point.  
"I have the facts I'll be making in my speech." I informed, holding up the sheet of paper, "Our goal is to get as many investors as possible."  
"Rose, Alice and I will be in the crowd taking with possible investors." Esme added, before glancing over at our son, "You need to be prepared to answer as many questions as possible, especially since Jasper is giving the second speech."

"It's three p.m. right now." I announced, glancing at my watch.  
Rose wheeled her chair to face her husband, "We should be heading home now."

Rosalie and Emmett stood up, and I watched him wrap his arm around her waist before leading her out of the room. Jasper and Alice were next to go. They each held hands as they exited the room. I looked at my wife, and saw her biting on the back of the pen as she read over one of the folders she held in her hand.  
"Esme no." I shook my head.  
"Carlisle, just one person!" Esme pleaded, dropping the pen, "Just give one person a promotion, that way they'll all put their best foot forward."

I rose from my seat, "I'll think about it," walked over to her, "Are you ready to go?" She glanced outside of the conference room and sighed, "Yes."

**One Hour Later**

"She's late…" Rose trailed off, pacing the halls, "Nina is never late. Something must be wrong."

Rosalie's eyes continued to check her watch. She stood in the foyer by the front door and paced. Each of her children was here, except for Lily. Emmett struggled to keep up with his nervously impatient wife.  
"Babe," Emmett was finally able to grab her, "calm down. Breathe in," she inhaled, "Breathe out." She exhaled.  
Rosalie shook her head, "It didn't work!"

Guests were passing her weird glances as they watched my son's wife pace circles around the foyer. She bit her thumb nail as she waited for the front door to open. Our invitees were around the room drinking, talking, laughing, and telling jokes. Everyone dressed up in business attire. Emmett, Jasper, and I had on expensive Armani suits and ties. Rosalie wore a black knee high dolce and gabbana dress with silver strap on heels, dangling silver earrings and her hair was pinned up. Alice wore a gold Versace dress that stopped at her ankles, with black heels, and dangling gold earrings. Lastly, my beautiful wife Esme wore a green Prada dress with long black heels that stopped at her ankles. Our grandchildren were even dressed to present.

Rosalie's foot tapped worriedly, "Nina is so going to get it when she gets back." I wasn't surprised at my daughter-in-law's reaction. She was always a worrier. There is never a time when she doesn't worry. She worried when she was pregnant. She worried when she went into labor. She worried during labor. She worried after the baby had arrived. It's in her nature. All we could do was try to comfort her worries.  
"Nina probably just lost track of time." Jasper spoke up, trying to calm his sister down.

Rosalie shook her head once again, "I told her how important this was, and besides Lily has a horseback riding match tomorrow, and Lily really wants to go and if she's going to make it in time she has to go to bed early!"

Rosalie and I were similar in some aspects. We didn't like tardiness. Punctuality is always a must. Family was high up on her list of priorities. And lastly, she didn't care how close of a friend she was to someone, if they didn't do their job right, she fired them. I like that. She doesn't allow friendship to get in the way of her career.

Irwin stumbled into the foyer, "Carlisle," he set his hand against my back, "let's hear about this search engine."

"Jasper," I looked to my son-in-law, "it's time for your speech. Esme and Alice, I need you both out there to answer questions. I'm going to help Rose get into contact with Nina."

Diana clasped her hands together, "I'll go check on the kids." She soon disappeared into the dining room.

Rose continued to pace as Emmett continually called Nina. The more she didn't answer, the angrier he started to grow. "If you don't walk through the door in the next five minutes, you're fired."

I heard a round of applause for Jasper's speech. He excused himself from the room and re-entered the foyer with Alice and Esme.  
"Any word?"  
I looked to my wife and shook my head. She was a worrier too.

Before Emmett could call Nina again, a loud knock hit the front door. Rose pushed her brother to the side and ran up to the door, "Lily!" She pulled the door open, but was met with the lieutenant.

The lieutenant noticed the party going on, and stepped back, "I would like to speak to you all outside."

Rosalie's eyes fell upon her husband, before glancing towards her brother and finally settling on me. I followed her, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Esme outside, before silently closing the door behind me. I'll have to trust Diana to handle things for the time being.  
"What does this have to do with?" I walked over to my daughter-in-law, "Does it have to do with Nina? What about Lily? What's going on?"

Rose was a frantic mess. Her foot tapped melodically. I set my hand on the small of her back in an attempt to comfort her.  
"A man was killed on Bower's Ave."

I glanced towards my son and daughter-in-law to see if this had any significance to them. From the look on Rose's face, it did.  
"That's the way Nina takes Lily to and from the park!" Rosalie grew even more worried, and quite frankly, so did I.  
The lieutenant stepped forward, and continued, "There has been tire tracks that lead from the body of the man, and we found this."

He dug into his jacket pocket, and pulled out what seemed to be a wallet. He opened it up, "This wallet has a few twenties, a ten, and a vista card for a Nina Martinez."  
Esme stepped forward, "That's Lily's nanny."

"She might be the only person who can tell us who killed this man." The lieutenant held up a picture of the deceased man, "She might be our only eye witness along with Lily."

"Oh my gosh," Alice covered her mouth, "Lily saw someone get killed."  
"I don't know." The lieutenant shrugged, "I came to see if I could talk to Nina and your daughter."  
"That's the thing lieutenant," Rosalie's voice cracked, "Something else must have happened because they're not here! Now, where's my daughter?!"

**A/N: **You know the drill. Let's get to it…

**-Tiffany.**


	6. Missing

**Rosalie:**

It has been a little over fifteen hours since everything happened. The cops refuse to look into Lily because it hasn't been at least 24 hours. That's one of the most ridiculous reasons I have ever heard. A lot can happen in 24 hours.

Just sitting at home, waiting for the phone to ring was driving me insane. I need some answers. I need to not feel so helpless. I have no clue where my child is. I have no clue what she's doing. I have to be the worst mother in the world. One of the main jobs as a mother is to protect her children and I failed that.

The house phone ringing pulled me out of my bashing session. I raced across the room and dived for the phone, "Hello?"  
"Your daughter will be taken care of." Click.

The dial tone soon followed after the click. Your daughter will be taken care of. What does that mean? The boys were at school and everyone else was at work. I chose to stay home just in case Nina and Lily came back. Now, I know that I'm just wasting time as I wait.  
"Dorothea!" I hollered, wiping underneath my eyes, "Bring me my coat and purse."

She quickly disappeared out of the living room and reappeared with what I asked for. I muttered thanks before rushing out of the house. I drove as fast as I have ever driven in my life. I am usually a firm supporter of driving the speed limit or a little over it, unless it was an emergency. And this was surely classified as an emergency.

I didn't bother to park in the parking lot of Cullen Inc. It was too much of a process. I had to wait for clearance, get a parking pass and more. Time was of the essence. "Damn it!" I quickly pressed down on the brakes as someone popped in front of my vehicle. Forget it. I hopped out of my car after pulling the keys out of the ignition. I didn't have time for any of this.  
"Mrs. Cullen, you almost hit me." The intern muttered, brushing dirt off of his pants leg.

I raced past him, "I know a way we can avoid this in the future. You're fired." I ran into the building before I could hear his response, if there was one.

Once the elevator doors opened Elizabeth quickly greeted me. I sent her a wave of the hand as I rushed past her. I could see into the conference room. They were having a meeting; most likely going over the profit of yesterday. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett sat in the room with five other people, who were most likely investors.

I panted as I pulled the door open, "I'm sorry." I closed my eyes in order to contain my breathing.  
"Is everything okay?" Esme stood and rushed to my side, "Is Lily and Nina back home?"  
I shook my head and attempted to suppress the tears.

Emmett guided me towards a seat, "Rose, what are you not telling us?"  
"Somebody has her."

Carlisle rushed over, "What? How do you know?"  
"Someone called. They said your daughter will be taken care of."  
"What does that mean?" Alice looked over as I shrugged my shoulders.  
Jasper approached my side, "Did you recognize the voice?"  
"No."

I felt the emptiness in the pit of my stomach grow. I'm the woman I am today, not only because of how my mother raised me, but how the love from my children have shaped me.  
"We have to find her. We have to find my daughter."

Jasper nodded, and backed away, "I'll go call the lieutenant."

A distinct and foreign voice cleared its throat, "Carlisle, are we going to finish this meeting?"  
"Excuse me?" I turned to face the man.  
Carlisle raised his hand, "We'll finish this later."  
"We're doing you a favor," the man motioned to him and the other three business men and women, "we don't have to invest money into your company."  
"Take your money," Carlisle growled, as he backed towards the door in order to open it, "and leave."  
"Fine." The man rose from his seat, "Who's coming with me?"

Two other men rose from their seat and followed the man out. The woman remained in her seat, refusing to move. Carlisle tilted his head in shock, "Tiffany? Don't you want to save money and time?"  
"I'm patient." She smiled and intertwined her fingers, "I have no place to be."

Carlisle mustered up his most appreciative smile before closing the door. I glanced at the woman and nodded my head with gratefulness.  
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Alice asked softly.  
"You can bring my daughter back."

The sound of my voice was laced with venom. I didn't mean to come off as I did. "I'm sorry." I glanced down at the ground and used my left hand to cover my forehead.  
"No," Alice shook her head, "that was a stupid question. I'll go see if Jasper got in contact with the lieutenant."

**Emmett:**

My dad entered my office, "How are you feeling?"  
"I can't think of a word to explain how I feel. Some low life has my daughter and I can't do a thing about it. They could be doing who knows what to her dad." I ran my hands through my curly hair, "I try not to think about it, but I can't help it." I pulled my hands out of my hair and met my father's eyes, "I'm my family's protector…and I failed them. I can't even look Rose in the face right now because of her resemblance to Lily."

My father pulled me to my feet and cautiously wrapped his arms around me. Without even knowing, this was what I needed. "Carlisle." My mom pushed open my office room door and poked her head inside, "Tiffany is going to get us an estimation of how much she's willing to invest. She said call her whenever you're available." My dad nodded his head as she exited my office.

I looked down on my desk and grabbed the picture frame. Inside was a picture taken a few years ago. In the picture, Rose is sitting on my lap, with a two year old Lily in her arms, and Josh, Sam, and Jared surrounded us smiling at the camera. I set the picture down in its designated spot before moving along. I bypassed the photos of my wife and the pictures of my sons as I reached for another photo of my daughter. In the picture, Lily is on her pink bike with the basket in the front. She had her hair in curly pigtails and had a personalized pink helmet on with her name inscribed into it.

I glanced up at the sound of my office door opening, "The lieutenant wants us to come in. He said come in at least an hour. He's going to try and get us some type of answers."

I waved her over, "Come here." She did just as I requested, and allowed me to pull her onto my lap, "Look." I pointed towards another picture of Lily. Rosalie reached forward and picked up the frame, "I remember this day," a smile stretched across my wife's face, "Lily really wanted to learn how to ride a bike! She told me if I went outside and taught her she would wash my car." Her head quickly turned to face me, "Can you believe that? She was only four at the time. She's so like you, Emmett."  
"She's precious." Diana asserted from the doorway.

Rosalie wiped the corner of her eye, "She is." She set the picture down before rising from my lap, "What if I never see her again?"  
"Don't say that!" Diana scolded, rushing over to her daughter, "Being a parent is hard work and Rose you have to stay strong! I stay strong for you, and you stay strong for your children!" Rose shook her head quickly as Alice entered the room.

I pried my eyes away from my wife and glanced down at another photo. In the picture there was Alice, Jasper, Claire and Lily. Lily rested in Jasper's arms. Claire poked her head in the picture as Alice leaned over and pecked Lily's cheek.

My dad walked over to me, "I took that picture."  
"This was the fourth of July." My mother held out another picture.

In the photo my mother owned it was both of my parents with Lillian on the day she took her first steps. Tears were rolling down her face because she fell and was covered in so much mud. My mother's flowers were completely ruined.  
"Lily hated getting dirty." Alice gleamed, taking a hold of the picture, "I believe she gets that from her aunty."

Rosalie cleared her voice, "We should leave. The lieutenant is probably ready for us."

**A/N: Review!**

**-Tiffany.**


	7. Gone

**Edward:**

I adjusted my grip around the two Starbucks coffees. I glanced at my partner whose desk was connected with my own. After reaching down to place her coffee beside her, I pulled out my seat and sat down.  
"Lauren said Sylvester Quincy's hearing is today." Bella lifted her coffee and nodded towards me, "I told her we weren't going to be able to make it."  
"Thanks." I rose from my seat, and took another seat at the edge of her desk.

Bella glanced up and smiled at me before drinking a sip of her coffee. "You always get the best coffee for me." I shrugged my shoulders, leaned forward and pecked her forehead, "I know what my lady likes."  
"Mason! Swan!" lieutenant popped his head out, "Come to my office!"

I sat my coffee down and stood up, "We probably have a new case."  
"We just finished our old one." Bella remarked, setting her coffee down, "Our last was too much to handle. I should have taken a few days off of that one."

Bella's feelings were completely understandable. Sylvester Quincy killed over 15 women who resembled his ex-girlfriend whom he also killed. The manner in which he did it is completely sick. Any person in their right mind would want to take a couple of days off to recoup.

I allowed Bella to walk through first, before I followed after her. After closing the door behind me, I turned to face three people. One being the lieutenant, and the other two being…Rosalie and Emmett Cullen from the wealthy Cullen Family.

Rosalie and Emmett sat on the other side of the lieutenant's desk. Emmett was holding his wife's hand as he watched us enter the room. His wife didn't bother raising her head to even acknowledge our presence. When she finally did look up, her eyes looked dried out from crying too much.  
"Swan. Cullen." Lieutenant called out, pointing towards two empty chairs, "Please take a seat."  
"What's going on lieu?" I did just as he asked and took a seat.  
"Lillian Cullen is missing."

Rosalie covered her mouth and looked away as the lieutenant recited all of the facts in the case. Lillian Cullen was this small town's sweetheart. She was friendly, adorable and most of all, she was innocent.  
Bella rose from her seat, "I want to hear what happened from you." She turned to face the parents.  
"Every Saturday Nina, who is our nanny, takes Lily to the park. This Saturday they went to the park, but they never came back." Bella reached forward and extended the Kleenex box towards Rosalie. "We received a call from someone and they told us our daughter will be taken care of. What does that even mean?"

I rose from my seat, "Did you recognize the voice?"  
"He stayed on the phone for about three seconds. His voice was deep. It was a voice I would remember if I have ever heard it. I've never heard that voice before."

I crossed the room and approached the couple, "Do any of you have any enemies?"  
"We're a business Mr. Mason," Emmett turned to face me, "We didn't get to where we are by holding hands and patting backs."  
"Here's a picture of Lily." Rosalie handed the photo to me.

I glanced down at the school picture. The five year old had one of the biggest smiles. Her smile was truly genuine. It was real. She was a very happy little girl. Her hair was in pig tails, allowing loose curls to flow down the sides of her face. Her eyes held pure joy. Her eyes were as bright as her mother's.

From the information we gathered, I knew I needed to cover all bases. For one, the nanny could be involved. We don't know anything about her so we can't rule that possibility out. As a matter of fact, the nanny could be behind it all. She had access to the house. She knew the Cullens' daily schedule. And most importantly, she knew Lillian trusted her.  
"What can you tell us about Lillian's nanny?" Bella must have been assuming the same thing that I was.  
"Nina?" Rose responded, as me and Bella nodded, "She's a very sweet girl. She's 25 and she's from Mexico. Why?"

Emmett studied my face, "Do you think she could have done this? Is she a suspect?"  
"We're going to do some digging and we'll stop past your house first thing tomorrow."

Rose smiled and nodded, "Okay, here's my-"  
"We know where you live Mrs. Cullen."

Rosalie stood up and pulled Bella into a hug, "Thank you so much." She pulled away and turned to me before pulling me into a hug, "We really appreciate it." I smiled at this woman and hoped that we didn't let her down. She placed absolute faith in us and I couldn't let her down. We have a five year old girl's life in our hands. We can't let the Cullens' down, and we really can't let Lillian down.

"Rosalie left home footage tapes on our desk before she left." Bella informed, leading me out of the lieutenant's office, "The lieutenant asked her to bring some…to give us an idea of Lily."

I placed the DVD into my laptop and waited for it to boot up. Bella wheeled her chair around to take a seat next to me as I pressed play. I reached for Bella's hand and held it tightly, "You ready?" She met my eyes and nodded.

In the first clip, we saw a little girl who matched Lillian's description on stage in the front row during a ballet recital. We watched her short performance, and at the end of her dance, she curtsied, bowed and then blew a kiss to the audience. Her father's cheers could be heard drowning out the cheers of other parents. Lily and the rest of her ballet mates left the stage, and the older ballet class walked out. I forward the tape to get past the rest of the recital.

In the next clip, we saw the same little girl standing beside a pony. It was a little baby horse standing next to its mother.  
"Lil, get on Rosebud." We heard a male voice say from behind the camera.  
"That sounds like Emmett."  
"I'll help you up." A female voice said that matched Rosalie's.

Rosalie appeared in the camera and lifted the little girl onto the horse. Lily's eyes grew wide as she held tightly onto the pony.  
"Do horses like snakes?" a little boy appeared, holding up a garden snake.

Rosalie patted the pony's neck to keep it calm, "Jared give that snake back to Collin!"  
"When my legs grow longer, I'm going to be able to ride a big horse!" Lily exclaimed, following her mother's lead in patting the horse, "Mommy, for my fifth birthday, can you sign me up for horseback riding lessons?"  
"Yes."  
"Promise?" Rose lifted Lily off of the horse.  
"I promise."

The mother and daughter twisted their pinkies around each other's. Rose placed a kiss against her daughter's forehead, before a loud crash sounded through the stable.  
"Jared," Rose walked around her daughter and the pony, "I told you to give that snake back to Collin!" She disappeared from in front of the camera.  
Lily glanced at the cameraman and smiled, "He's going to be in trouble!"  
"You already know it Lil." Emmett laughed from the other end.

Bella forward the tape this time. She covered her mouth as the tape zoomed through the remainder of the stable footage.

In the last clip, the background was on a beautiful beach. The family must have been on vacation. They were all on a beach and on top of the beach's hill was a large beach house.  
"I would just love to own a beach house." Bella smirked.

Five towels were laid out on the sand, and Rosalie, Diana, Alice, Claire and Esme were laid out on top of them, tanning. They were facing the water, watching the guys and the kids play.  
"Here we have my gorgeous sister Rose, my stunning mother Diana, my sexy wife Alice, my beautiful daughter Claire, and my lovely mother-in-law Esme."  
"That must be Jasper Hale, Rosalie Cullen's brother." I nodded in agreement.

In the ocean, Lily sat on her grandfather's shoulders. Joshua was trying to surf, but failing miserably. Emmett, Sam, Jared, Collin and Peter were in the water dunking and splashing each other. Jasper allowed the camera to wander around the island, showing just how beautiful the piece of land was. From the palm trees, to the beautiful breeze, they were truly on paradise.  
"Mommy!" Lily cried out, running towards Rosalie.

Rosalie raised from her towel, "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"  
"The boys dunked me and grandpa!"  
Rose stormed past her daughter, "Emmett!"  
"I think you are doing my job perfectly," Claire pulled Lily towards her, "I guess the job of getting the boys in trouble is in good hands."

Esme smiled as she walked over to Lily, "Let's get you cleaned up."  
"Grandma," Lily's bright eyes gleamed into the older woman's, "Do you think the boys are going to get in trouble?"  
"Let's hope so." Esme scooped the little girl into her arms.

I glanced over to see saw tears trickling down Bella's face. We didn't need to watch anymore. I leaned forward and ejected the disc.  
"We can't get attached Bell," I pulled her into my arms, "We're cops. We're supposed to be detached from the situation."

She glanced up and met my eyes, "I know, but-" She looked back towards the screen, "She's just a little girl Edward. What could they possibly want with her?"  
"That's our job to find out." I placed a passionate peck against her lips in order to soothe her.

**The Next Day**

I parked my black Explorer in the driveway of the Cullen's large estate. I opened the passenger side door to allow Bella to step out.  
"You're always the gentleman." She pecked my cheek.

I took an assuring hold of her hand as we walked towards the front door of the house. After knocking twice, the door flew open and revealed Rosalie and Emmett's butler. The butler was young. He looked around his mid-thirties. I couldn't help but make a mental note of how I usually see or hear about butlers being in their high digits.  
"Please come inside."

I gave Bella an assuring kiss on her lips. I hated working on child abduction cases. If they ended badly, it always left a lasting mark over my heart. I would not know the kids, but to know that someone robbed them of their life before it truly even started, would leave a dark casting over me. I was going to need as much assuring as ever to get through this case.

High heels could be heard hitting against the hardwood floor. The sounds of the heels grew closer and closer before revealing the feet attached to them. Mrs. Cullen stood at the top of the other end of the hallway, "Walter, please take their coats."  
"Oh no," Bella shook her head and smiled, "You don't have to."  
"I insist." Walter held his gloved hand out.  
"We won't be staying long."

He nodded his head and stepped back at his post by the front door. Walter's left arm rest behind his back, as his right arm dangled by his side.

When Rosalie grew closer, I could tell she hasn't been sleeping. Her eyes were red and puffy from the constant tears and the lack of sleep. In her right hand, she held her phone and in her left she held some sort of locket.

She knocked on closed double doors, "Emmett, they're here."

The double doors slid open to reveal Emmett, his parents, Jasper, Alice, and the Hales' mother Diana. With them was a woman I did not recognize standing in a suit.  
"I'll call you later Tiffany." Carlisle watched as Walter handed the woman her jacket.  
Before leaving the house, she smiled at Emmett and Rosalie, "I wish you two the best of luck. I have you in my prayers."  
"Thank you so much." Rose ran her fingers through her hair.

Once she left, I turned to face the family, "Can you take me to Nina's room?"  
"I can." Rose motioned for me and Bella to follow her.

Bella and I followed her up the stairs. We noticed seven bedroom doors lined up down the long hall. Each door was closed. Out of each of them, I could easily spot Lily's. Her door held a drawing on it with what seems to be a sketched photo of her parents and brothers. She led us to the door right next to Lillian's. Rosalie opened the door, and directed us inside. The room had three doors attached to it. One door led to her personal bathroom, anther door led to the hallway we just came from, and the third door led to Lily's room.

Bella lifted a red book positioned on top of Nina's dresser, "Look at this." She tried to open it, but it was locked.  
"That's Nina's journal," Rose sat on the edge of Nina's bed, "I always see her write in it. I believe I saw her place the key in her top dresser drawer."

I sought out the key. Once I found it, I handed it over to Bella to allow her to unlock it. The first 20 to 30 pages were about her transition to here from Mexico. The next 30 pages were about her five years here as Lily's nanny. She adored the family. Rosalie and Emmett's conversations made her laugh. Joshua would 'school' her on American girls and boys. Sam would introduce her to a lot of popular rock sounds. Now rock is her favorite music genre. And Jared was a big source of her entertainment. Nina enjoyed seeing what new ideas would come into that ten year olds head. The next few pages held taped drawings made by Lily of her and Lily. After that a couple of pages held photos of just Lily. By the looks of Nina's journal, she loved this little girl and her family very much…or at least she wanted us to think so.

A wide range of possibilities and questions floated throughout my head. Do the Cullen's know the kidnappers personally? Did they kidnap Lillian to get money or for their own personal gain? What about Emmett? Could he have been having an affair with the nanny and she wanted payback when he broke it off? There are so many possibilities. Although one may sound completely ridiculous, it was still a possibility. Sometimes the least obvious one is the one that actually happens.

Rosalie rose from the bed, "What are you thinking detective?"  
"I'm just trying to cover all of my bases." I attempted to explain, taking the journal from Bella, "I'm asking every possible question."

Emmett appeared at the threshold, "Do you still believe Nina could have been a part of this?"  
"No," Bella answered, setting the journal down, "but we still can't rule anything out just yet." She saw the pained look on Rosalie's face. If Nina did have a part in this, she would never forgive herself. I know Bella. And I know both of us highly doubt their nanny had anything to do with this. It was gut instinct. Bella placed her hand against the woman's shoulder, "By the looks of everything," I knew she was going to do her best to comfort Rosalie, "Nina loves this family, and she especially loves that little girl."

Rosalie gave my partner a genuine smile, "We love her just as much."  
"She's been missing for almost two whole days," Dr. Cullen entered the room with Rosalie's mother following behind, "what's her chances?"

Bella broke eye contact with Rose in order to meet eye contact with Carlisle, "As the days past pass by, her chances decrease."  
"You have to understand detectives," Rosalie wiped the corners of her eyes, "She's only five! She hasn't been away from me for more than two days!" She flopped back down onto Nina's bed, "Every night I wonder what's happening to her? Is she locked in a basement? Is she starving? Is she cold? Is she hurt? Is she scared? Is she calling out for us, and wondering why we haven't come for her?" Her eyes averted from mine to Emmett's, "Or is all of that over now and she is safe in God's hands?"

Alice entered the room, and brought over a cup of coffee for her sister-in-law, "Drink this."  
"We have to tell you all something you may not want to hear…"  
Alice took a seat next to Rosalie as Jasper entered the room with Esme. Jasper held onto his mother's hand, knowing how fragile she is about any stressful conversations. Esme went over to her husband and pulled him towards her.  
"Go ahead." Diana pushed on.

I nodded towards Bella to tell them, "If you all don't receive a ransom call from them," Bella looked away from them to make it easier to say, "Then most likely they kidnapped Lillian for personal purposes."

I could hear silence fall around the room. Rosalie's breath caught in her throat, and the cup of coffee slipped through her fingers. I watched as the brown liquid began to stain the white carpet. A maid rushed out of the room in order to grab something to clean it up.

I felt my pocket buzz. I pulled out my cell phone and skimmed the text the lieutenant sent me.  
"What does it say?" Bella approached me.  
"Folks," I glanced up and smiled, "I have some good news."  
Jasper rubbed his mother's back, "Anything. We all really need to hear something good!"

"Someone came forward. We have a witness."

**Review:**

**Hello wonderful fanfictioners! Thank you so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be sure to get the next one out as soon as possible. **

**-Tiffany.**


	8. The Witness

**Bella:**

Tanya Denali. She's our only eye witness to the kidnapping of Lillian Cullen. Ms. Denali may be the only person who can help bring Lillian home and back to her parents.

The elevator doors sprung open, allowing Edward and myself to enter the offices. I glanced around the many cubicles, before spotting Sarah, "Where's the witness?"  
"She's in lieu's office." Sarah didn't even bother glancing up. She typed aimlessly away on her work desktop.

Edward led the way towards the lieutenant's office. He knocked before allowing himself inside. I followed closely behind. A shuddering woman sat in the seat Mrs. Cullen previously occupied a day ago. Her hands were clasped over a coffee mug. Mrs. Denali's foot mindlessly tapped away on the lieutenant's carpeted floor. Any person could tell she was obviously nervous and tense.  
"Ms. Denali this is Detective Swan and Detective Mason."

After our lieutenant's introduction, we got right down to business. We didn't have time for idle chit-chat. Edward and I had a five year old girl we needed to get home.  
"Ms. Denali-"  
"You can call me Tanya."

I pulled a seat up to Tanya, "Can you tell us exactly what you saw two days ago?"  
"I was walking my poodle, Princess, and I heard a loud bang noise," her eyes rolled to the back of her head in thought, "it sounded like a gunshot." Tanya's pupils immediately averted from the back of her head to my direction, "I didn't really pay attention to it. I was more focused on the safety of myself and Princess." Edward extended a box of Kleenex tissues towards her. The middle-aged woman grabbed a few tissues, before continuing, "I looked over and saw that man on the news that died lying in the middle of the street. Afterwards a big black van sped away, and once it turned the corner there was another gunshot."

Tanya's eyes didn't exactly meet mine. She made it seem as if she was giving me eye contact, but her pupils would occasionally drift around the room, or to the floor.  
"Did you see what they looked like?"

Tanya looked to Edward, but didn't meet his eyes, "No, there backs were faced towards me. I know there were three of them. There were two who got out and one who remained behind the wheel."  
"Is that it?"

Ms. Denali turned to face me and nodded. She grasped her purse and threw the strap around her shoulder, "That's all I saw."  
"Are you sure?" Edward walked her to the lieu's office door.  
"I'm positive."  
"Well thank you for coming forward."

I watched as Edward closed the door behind Tanya. He turned to face me and sighed, "She heard another gunshot."  
"It could have been another bystander," I rose from my seat, "you know someone else who saw and tried to help."  
"If it was another bystander, wouldn't they leave the body like they did the first guy?"

I didn't like where any of this was going. For it to have not been another bystander could only mean one thing.  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Edward slowly approached me.  
I nodded, "The gunshot hit either Nina or Lillian."

* * *

"Does this seem personal to you?" Edward spoke up, handing the money over to the hotdog vendor as he received our lunch, "Hear me out Bell, Lily has been gone for two whole days…and there's been no ransom, no call, and no note." He handed me my hotdog, "I would say they kidnapped her because her parents are wealthy, but they didn't ask for a ransom. And if they don't want money, then what do they want?"

I adjusted my grip around my hotdog as I took another delicious bite. We didn't have plenty of time for lunch break so we always chose to pick up something quick while we're on the job.  
"I just received a text from the lieu," Edward informed, swallowing his last bite, "the Cullens' just received a note." After chugging down the remainder of my hotdog, Edward and I raced back to the car and set the GPS for the Cullens' home.

As Edward drove, I couldn't help but allow my mind to wander. I smiled in relief. A note was a good sign. It's better to have something rather than have nothing. A note may mean demands, and demands usually meant there was a possibility for us to get Lillian back.

I knew Edward was thinking the same thing. I could see the small smile playing at his lips as he grabbed my hand and squeezed in assurance.

The large home of Rosalie and Emmett Cullen came into view. This was our second time at their house in one day. Since I graduated high school, I've always imagined meeting the Cullens', but not under these circumstances. Edward's parking was slightly off due to the rush to quickly get inside and inspect the note.

Walter, the butler already had the door held wide open. He was expecting our arrival. Once Edward and I entered the house, he closed the door and led us to the living room. Inside the living room we were met with a variety of unhappy faces.

My eyes automatically glanced at Rosalie Cullen. Her demeanor seemed extremely tired. She looked like she could pass out at any second. Her eyes were still red from the last time I've seen her, but they weren't as puffy. Emmett's tiredness matched that of his wife's. The only difference was his eyes were indeed puffy.

Carlisle and Jasper looked as if they couldn't cry anymore even if they tried. They were cried out. Their eyes were dry…and irritated. They needed some type of comforting news. Diana, Alice and Esme had constant tears floating down their cheeks. Rose refused to face them. If she did, most likely she would start crying all over again. The kids, who I recognized from the home videos me and Edward watched were scattered around the living room. They were sitting down, pacing or muttering words under their breath.

I inhaled a sharp breath, "Where's the note?"

Carlisle rose from his seat, and handed the note over to Edward. I approached my partner and read the note from over his shoulder.

**We have her. **

**No cops.**

**No News.**

**I'll send you a picture of Lillian, every week, so you can see how fast she is growing into a beautiful little girl.**

I slid the note out of his hand, "What does any of this even mean?"  
"It means that you can't work this case anymore." Alice asserted, snatching the note out of my hands.

**The Next Day**

**Rosalie:**

"Mommy" a voice called out, awaking me from my slumber.

I pried my eyes open from the familiar sound of her voice. I sat up, and used the back of my hand to wipe against them. Once any and all type of cloudiness left my vision, I was met with stunningly familiar blue eyes. My eyes took the little girl in as a whole. I recognized those blue eyes, the dimples and the curly blonder hair.  
"Lily," I snatched the five year old and pulled her into my arms, "What happened?" I pecked my youngest all around her face as she giggled.  
"Mommy," Lily laughed, struggling to pull away, "you're silly!"

I didn't want to ever put her down. Even though she was fighting against my stronger hold, I refused to let her out of my sight and out of my hold for one second.  
"Who took you Lily?" I placed another kiss against her forehead, "What happened to Nina?" I gave her a once over, "Did they hurt you in any kind of way?" I turned her around to give her a full once over, "You can tell mommy."

Lily's small hands rested against my cheeks, "Mommy, Nina took me to the park and we just got back. You told us to be home by four." Her cold hands relaxed against my warm cheeks. She smiled brightly before pecking my nose, "I love you mommy."  
"I love-"

My response was immediately cut off by the sound of an alarm blaring through my bedroom. My body jerked itself up, "What?" I mumbled and held my head in my hand.

The alarm continued to grow louder and louder. I gripped the clock and yanked it out of the way. The sound of the alarm immediately died down. The last five minutes immediately hit my head. Lily's here.

I pulled myself out of bed, and took off out of the master bedroom, "Lily!"  
"Lil!" I threw open her bedroom door.  
It was empty.  
I raced to Nina's room, "Lillian!"  
It was also empty.

I slammed Nina's door behind me before racing down the staircase. I waved at Walter as I checked each room thoroughly.  
"Lily!"

Emmett grabbed my shoulders, "Rose, what's wrong?"  
"It's Lily!" I smiled, watching the dimples peek into his smiling cheeks, "She was never kidnapped! It was all a dream!"

My husband pushed a strand of blonde hair behind my ear, "No babe, you must have been dreaming." His words were like a knife cutting at me. "Lily was taken, and she's still gone. She's been gone for three days."

"No Emmett." I muttered, pulling myself out of his arms.

I left my husband standing alone in the hallway. I raced past Walter again, and the sound of my bedroom door slamming shut behind me echoed throughout the house.  
"Get out!" I shouted, watching as Dorothea made the bed, "I said get out!"

The middle-aged maid quickly scurried out of my bedroom. As she left out, Emmett came in.  
"She's only doing her job."

I ignored my husband. I had no intention of snapping at Dorothea and I truly hoped she understood that. I'm not one to apologize.

I heard the door gently close, "Rose." Emmett remained in the room.  
I ignored him.  
"Rosalie" He approached me.

I turned to face Emmett, my cheeks stained from my tears. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into a comforting hug. I looked in his eyes and saw all I needed within them. I had four children with this man. He provided me with an unexplained love.

Out of desperation, I rose to the tip of my toes and embraced him in a kiss. Kissing him with all of the fiber and passion in the world couldn't even take my mind off of Lillian.

After the kiss, I remained in his arms, "Your friends are coming over to take you out to lunch." Noticing my sudden discomfort, he continued, "They realized how stressed you were, and they wanted to help you relax. They want to help you free your mind."

I immediately pulled out of his arms, "Nothing and no one will take my mind off of her Emmett!" I shoved him in the shoulder, "Don't you think about what they could possibly be doing to her? What if they raped her?" My voice lowered at the mention of that word, "Remember, I was a rape victim. I can't have my child go through the same thing." I wiped the few tears that left my eyes, "What if she's dead, and we're wasting our time-"

"Damn it Rosalie!" He gripped both of my wrists to prevent me from pushing him anymore, "You can't think like that!"

"You don't care."  
He released my wrists, "How can you say that? Day after day I have tried to be the strong one for all of us-"  
"You barely cry! You barely want to talk about her!"

"I can't do it anymore Rosalie!" Emmett's booming voice cut me off, "I'm tired of going into rooms by myself and crying, and then quickly wiping the tears away when I hear someone coming."

My guard immediately lowered. I knew he was trying to be strong for me, but I didn't know he felt he needed to sneak around just so he could help me out.  
"Baby, you didn't have to hide your tears from me. We could have been strong for each other."

I wrapped my arms around my husband's muscular body before resting my head against his chest. His hands slowly lowered onto my back. We were surrounded by silence…at least we were until I heard whispering in the halls.  
"Come on in!"

I pulled away from Emmett and watched as our boys slowly entered our room.  
"I told you that you can't whisper!" Sam shoved his younger brother.  
Jared glared at Sam, "Yes I can!"

"We heard you guys arguing." Joshua didn't drag it out. He got right to the point. He hated seeing me and Emmett fighting.  
"It's just the stress honey," I pulled my oldest into my arms, "Most of the time we aren't even really arguing, your dad and I just like to talk loud."

Josh smiled as I pecked his forehead, "Mom, stop! That's gross!" He immediately pulled away from me.  
"You got mom germs!" Sam snickered pointing at his older brother.  
"Mom germs?" I glanced to Emmett and saw him shrug, "Does dad germs exist?"  
"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Well, I hate to say this Sammy," I pulled him towards me, "but mom germs are highly contagious." I smirked before pecking all around his face. He squirmed desperately against my embrace.

I was holding him tightly and he struggled to break free. He didn't struggle too hard because he didn't want to accidentally hurt me. Emmett grabbed Josh and pulled him into a fatherly bear hug. We were definitely spreading the parent germs.  
"When is Lily coming home?" Jared spoke up over our laughter.

Joshua and Samuel pulled out of mine and Emmett's arms. We were all taken off guard by Jared's question.  
"Come here son." Emmett pulled him towards us, "I know you miss your sister," Jared nodded, "and we're trying everything humanly possible to get her home."  
"When?"  
I turned him to face me, "We can't answer that."  
"Why?"  
"We just can't." I leaned forward and pecked his forehead.

A foreboding silence filled the master bedroom. Emmett allowed Jared to climb onto his back, "Alright guys, let's let mom get ready."

Once my bedroom was cleared of any and all testosterone, I jumped into the shower and quickly got dressed. Having lunch with my friends wouldn't hurt. When I went downstairs, I immediately spotted Jacob. I've known him since middle school. He was my closest and most trusted friend. Although we always tease each other, and playfully call each other childish names, I knew he always had my back…and vice versa. Then I met Kate and Irina during sophomore year of high school. We had most of our classes together. Afterwards I met Victoria during my junior year of college. And then, I met Maria after my rape. Both of us were sexually assaulted by the same man, and we stuck together to get him trialed and convicted. This was a year after I graduated from college.

Each of my friends was waiting by the door. And each of their faces held a genuine smile.

Kate set her hand on my shoulder, "Are you ready?"  
I nodded.  
Jacob extended his arm towards me, "Then let's go."

**Review:**

**Sorry, it took so long for me to update. Thanks for the reviews. Especially RJRRAA, you have been with me through each and every one of my stories.**

**-Tiffany.**


	9. The Day Goes On

**Rosalie:**

I inhaled a sharp, exhilarating breath. Was I a bad mother for going out to eat with my friends while my daughter is missing? I don't know the answer to that question, but I surely do feel guilty about it. Emmett set this up to help clear my mind. I doubt it would work. My daughter was gone, temporarily or permanently I don't know. He promised to call if there were any new leads I should know about. I guess I could try to enjoy an hour long brunch knowing I will be notified in an instant if there are any changes to the case.  
"Mrs. Cullen," Rosalie looked up and met the waiter's eyes, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for Lily." Rose smiled as he set her plate down in front of her.

She didn't understand why he was apologizing, but she appreciated the effort of sending out his condolences. Her daughter wasn't dead. Rosalie refused to believe that unless there was proof.  
"I wouldn't know what to do if my child was taken," Victoria sighed, cutting into her breakfast, "I could only imagine what that must feel like. The guilt you must feel to lose a child that you're supposed to protect, I just feel-"  
"You don't have a child," I interrupted, after taking a sip of my coffee, "you don't know the feeling because you don't have a child!"

I felt Jacob's hand rest against my right forearm and Maria's hand rest along my left. I inhaled another sharp breath after meeting both of their eyes. Out of all of my friends, Victoria and I had a love-hate relationship. We knew what to say to tick the other off. She especially knew everything that gets under my skin, but I still kept her as a friend. I thought of her as a challenge.

Victoria swallowed the food she was chewing, "You knew I always wanted one. What I would do to have a child of my own-" This time she cut herself off.

Kate and Irina looked to me. They knew I was going to have something to say, and they were right. I'm usually up for Victoria's challenges, but today I wasn't pretty much up for anything. I pushed my plate away after my third bite, "Victoria," she looked up from her plate and met my eyes, "How are we friends?" Her brows rose at my question, "I don't ever recall being friends with such a small-minded girl." She looked completely taken aback. I was never this outright honest with her, "I think you need to face the fact that you can't have a child. Every adoption center you've tried turned you down. Your uterus is all messed up, so I'm pretty sure you won't be popping any babies out any time soon. I think I can speak for us," I motioned around the table, "who have children when I say shut up!"

I rose from my seat, and was ready to walk away when Victoria's words caught my ear.  
"You're ungrateful."

Her insult pulled me back into my seat, "I'm a lot of things, but ungrateful I'm not!"  
"You don't cherish the children you have! You have four Rose! If I had a child like any of yours, I would spoil them rotten! I would treasure them like the jewels they are! For all you know, the person who has your daughter is probably not even hurting her! Maybe they can't have kids, and are raising her like they would raise their own."  
"You talk as if you're the one who kidnapped her…" I trailed off, watching her rise from her seat.

She walked around the table to face me, "That's ridiculous and you know it!"  
"I don't know anything at this point!" I grabbed the strap of my purse, before turning to face my friends, "I'm not ready for brunch. Jacob, can you just take me back home?"

**Bella:**

Edward took a seat in his desk chair, and wheeled himself up to his desk, "Okay, what do we know about Nina?"  
"She's twenty-three. She's legal." I chewed onto the top of my pen in thought, "She's from Mexico. That's all we know for sure."

Edward silently jotted down everything I listed. He stared down at the only three facts we know for certain.  
I took a seat on the corner of his desk, "Do you really think she had something to do with Lily's abduction?"  
"I hope not." He sighed, running his hand down his stressed face.

A long, anxious silence fell over us. We didn't have much to work with, but I refuse to give up on this child.  
Edward hastily hopped out his seat, "We need to go to the Cullen's house."  
"Edward," I took a hold of his arm, "They don't want us on the case anymore."

He snatched his arm out of my hold, "I don't give a damn Bella! I took an oath. I refuse to give up on Lily. I'm going to find that little girl," he grabbed his jacket, "I bet if I approach Rosalie and tell her what the rest of her family 'want,' she will disagree and be on my side."  
"Or, she already knows, and they find out you're trying to snoop and ruin your name in this town!" I shouted, in my attempts to keep up with him.

"Then that will have to happen!" He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not going to stop looking for her. Even if I get fired, I will look for her."

The car ride to the Cullens' house was extremely quiet. I could hear each breath that Edward took. I could hear his fingers tap lightly and anxiously along the stirring wheel. He was extremely nervous about this case. Although Lillian Cullen is still a missing person, if the Cullens withdrew their file of claiming her as a missing person, we have no other choice but to stop looking into that case. Edward wasn't going to let that happen, and now that I think about it, neither am I.

Edward and I approached the front door, and knocked repeatedly. Usually, their butler is standing within a foot of the door, but with the long wait we encountered, we realized he wasn't there.

The door swung open, revealing Emmett, "What can I help you with detectives?"  
"We want to ask you all a few more questions." Edward and I stepped inside.  
"We already told you everything we know." Esme entered the foyer behind her husband, "How many times do we have to repeat ourselves?"

Alice appeared from the living room, holding Jasper's hand, "Anything you ask us, we already told."  
"Besides," Carlisle added, as Emmett closed the door behind us, "I thought we told you all to end this investigation."  
Edward stepped forward, "We want to find your granddaughter sir."  
"You're going to get her killed." Jasper whispered, leading us into the living room.

"Can we speak to Rosalie?" I looked towards Emmett for an answer.  
Emmett shook his head, "Why?"  
"We want to know her opinion. If she agrees and says that she wants us to stop investigating, we will stop." I backed towards the stairwell, "Is she upstairs?"  
"No. She's not here." Esme asserted, taking a seat on the couch.

Edward's eyes squinted, suspiciously, "Rosalie!"  
"Rose!" I shouted, peeking into the dining room, "Rosalie!"  
"She's not here." Jasper informed, leading his family into the foyer, "You can call her name all you want. She isn't here."

Edward nodded towards the front door, before walking over towards it, "We will be back."  
"I don't think you will." Carlisle wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, "Not if you want to continue working in the state of Washington."

Edward smirked to himself while opening the door, "Mr. Cullen, with all due respect," He turned around to face the older Cullen, "I'm not going to stop investigating."  
"What?" Edward quickly turned around at the sound of Rosalie's voice. She stood under the threshold of the front door with an angry scowl plastered across her face, "Detective, who told you that?"

Rosalie walked around me and Edward as she entered the house. No one spoke to answer her question, even though it was directed towards me and Edward.  
"What's going on?!" Rosalie's voice raised an octave as she looked around for an answer.  
Emmett walked over to his wife, "Edward and Bella were just leaving."

Rose looked into her husband's eyes, "Was there any new leads in the case?" She pried her eyes away and turned to look into mine.  
"We were told to stop investigating." I informed.  
Rosalie's arms crossed, as her eyes glared, "What? Why would you do that?"  
"We were told to. If we didn't comply, our names-"  
"would be ruined." Rose finished, turning to face her father-in-law.

"After we received the note, we told them to stop looking." Carlisle proclaimed, defending his actions.  
"We can't!" Rose hollered, slamming the door behind her, "We can't do that to us! We can't do that to Lily! If we don't look for her, we won't find her! I highly doubt one day they will just drop her off in front of our house if we continue to do as they say. I don't think they are planning on giving her back!" Rose paused forcing herself to inhale a deep breath and exhale it right afterwards, "Detectives," she turned to face us, "I don't care what they say, but I want you to continue looking for my daughter! And if you two need anything, come to me."

A loud, crashing noise forced Rosalie to close her eyes and take a deep breath. Her hands pressed against her forehead, as she shouted, "BOYS!" She looked at us apologetically before stomping up the spiral staircase.

I smiled at the angry expressions along their faces. Their hearts were in a good place, it's just the decision they made was rash. A lot of emotions were brought out because of Lily's disappearance. If I had a child who was taken, I would have probably acted the same way.

Edward's texting tone brought me out of my reverie. He grasped my elbow, "That was lieutenant," this sparked my curiosity, "We have a body."

**Rosalie: **

I looked around, and met each of their eyes, "Who did it?"

All I received in return was silence. I stared forward at the shattered mirror to see my broken reflection. Each of my boys mouths were shut tight. No one wanted to be the one to tattle on the other.  
"Okay, how about I figure it out…" I stepped forward, as they stood in a line from oldest to youngest, "On second thought, I shouldn't have to. Since no one wants to step forward, all three of you are punished until further notice."

This sparked an immediate reaction out of all of them. Each of them were arguing as to why they shouldn't be the one that's punished.  
"Quiet!" I shouted, turning to face my oldest, "I'll let each of you speak, but one at a time. Go ahead Joshua."  
"I didn't do it." He pleaded, running his fingers through his hair, "You know this! Legends don't break mirrors! Legends don't get themselves into unnecessary trouble." He approached me, and stared into my eyes, "Raising a legend is extremely hard; mom you should know, but I can guarantee that the hard part has nothing to do with destroying property."

I smirked, "Who is this 'legend' you are referring to?"  
"Me." He said as if it was obvious to the world, "You didn't know you were raising a legend?"  
"I do now." I nodded my, allowing him to leave.

I trusted Joshua. I knew he didn't do it. I just wanted to hear what he had to say because that child amuses me each and every day.  
"Okay," I looked at my two youngest boys, "Which one?"

This caused for Sam to point at Jared and Jared to point at Sam. I waved them to walk forward, "You both are in trouble, and you understand that, right?"

I watched them nod, as I lowered myself to be at eye level, "I understand that you are boys, but please do not make my job any harder than it already is. You two are punished until me and your father get around to replacing the mirror."  
"Mom-"

I raised my hand to cut Sam off, "There's no playing rough in the house! You take that crap outside! Am I understood?" He silently nodded, causing me to turn to face Jared, "What about you Jared? Do you understand me?"  
"Mom, we-"  
"Jared," I interrupted, taking a step towards him, "the next words that I better hear coming out of your mouth is I understand mom. Now, what would you like to say?"  
He bowed his head, "I understand mom."  
"You boys may go."

Sam walked off, but Jared remained. He wasn't use to me hollering at him, but with everything going on today, I didn't have the patience to deal with it all. First Victoria, then my husband and father-in-law, and now my sons, it just feels as if no one will give me a break.  
"What else would you like to say?"  
"You're the meanest mom in the entire world!" Jared shouted, before running off in the direction of his room.

My hands flew into the air, as I flopped down into my bed. While staring forward at the shattered mirror, I ran my fingers through my straight hair. The sound of a light knock raps at the opened door.

I let out a breathless sigh, "Whoever said kids keep you young lied!"  
"What's with the long face?" My mother walked inside and took a comforting seat next to me.  
"Raising boys isn't just a job. It's a long and wild adventure."

She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, "It's not that bad."  
"Mom, you've raised one boy. I'm raising three."  
"Okay," she nodded, "you got me beat, but don't forget that I raised one boy and one girl by myself. You were not that easy," she pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, "If I remember correctly, you were reckless, dramatic, and downright stubborn. Everything I said to you went in one ear and out of the other."

Another knock at the door interrupted me and my mother's conversation. She pecked my forehead, before leaving me in the room alone with my husband. Emmett stood in front of me, not uttering a word. He was waiting for me to speak first.  
"Congratulate me!" I asserted, looking up to meet his eyes, "I have been named the Meanest Mom in the Whole World by our youngest son!"

Emmett's hand dropped onto my shoulder, "He didn't mean it. I bet he wouldn't trade you in for any other mom in the world."  
"Yeah, "I smiled and nodded, "His mom is amazing."

"Rose, I came up to apologize. I had no right to make that kind of decision and keep it from you."  
"Why did you?" my voice rose higher than expected, "Why did you lie to me? Why tell me you're going to keep me updated with the case, if you knew you wouldn't?"

Emmett sat down where my mother previously sat. His hands stayed to himself. I'm kind of glad they did because I am too upset right now. I would have rejected any type of physical contact.  
"I may look strong and together on the outside," He whispered, setting his hands against his knees, "but on the inside it's a total mess. I just thought…I figured if we went along, we would get her back."

"Sometimes I wish life came with an escape button."

His brows rose at my attempt to change the conversation. Everything was already said and done, and the detectives are out there now looking for my daughter. I can't go back to change anything.  
"You don't hate me?"

I grabbed four of his fingers, "When I married you, I agreed to love you until death do us part," I squeezed his hand gently, "but I never agreed to like you every day." Emmett leaned over and pecked my cheek.  
"I love you."  
"I love you too," I rose from the bed, "I'm going to say this in the nicest way possible, but I am taking your advice and working on relaxing, so I'm going to need you to leave me alone."

**Review: **  
**If you enjoy drama, mystery, humor and romance, check out my other stories!**

**-Tiffany.**


	10. Body Count: One

**Edward:**

After leaving the Cullens' home, Bella and I quickly raced to Forks National Bridge. The lieutenant ordered for us to arrive after a body was discovered floating in the water. By the time we arrived, the body was no longer in the water. The CSI team managed to bring it to land. Currently, the medical examiner was prepping the body to take back to the morgue.

I slammed my car door, before racing across the dirt, "What can you tell us about our Jane Doe?"  
"A woman in her early-twenties." The medical examiner informed, pulling gloves onto her hands, "Because of the gun-shot wound to her head, we can rule out drowning. I still want to run a complete autopsy though."

Bella pulled me to the side, "We can rule out Lily, but we can't rule out Nina." Nina's disappearance was taking a toll on Bella just as much as Lily's was. Nina was a young girl, with the dreams of coming to America in order to make a better life for herself. She's spent five years working blissfully for the Cullens, and now, hopefully she'll get more time to continue doing what makes her happy.

"Mason! Swan!" Lieutenant called out, waving us towards him, "I want you two to identify the victim.  
A young rookie cop approached, "Sir, no identification was found with the body."  
"I want you two to find out who she is!" our lieutenant pointed towards the gurney that our deceased victim rested upon, "And I want you two to find out who dumped her here and why!"

The lieutenant was about to continue sending out orders, but the blaring of his cell phone cut him off. We walked over to the body, now on a gurney, covered with a white sheet. Bella gripped the sheet and pulled it back a few inches, "She's just a kid." She sighed to herself before raising the sheet back, "We have to catch the sick person that did this to her."  
"Swan, Mason!" Lieutenant jogged towards us, "You two are needed back at the precinct. There's been a new discovery that could possibly help with the case."

I took a hold of Bella's hand and whisked her towards my parked car, "Edward, I'm going as fast as I can."  
"There's no time to waste." I unlocked the car door, and slid inside, "We'll meet you there lieutenant."

I drove behind the lieutenant, both of our sirens blaring through the evening sky. Rush hour was in effect, but it didn't prevent us from getting back to the precinct within a reasonable amount of time. Bella was the first out of the car, and I followed. We remained behind the lieutenant as we walked into the building.

Sitting in front of his office was a middle-aged couple I quickly recognized as Wendy and Eric Stevenson. This family owned New Moon, which is the competing magazine to the Cullens' Twilight.  
"Step into my office." The lieutenant directed, after unlocking the bolted door.  
Bella closed the door behind her, "What happened?" She didn't wait around. She didn't go around the bush. Bella got right down to it.

Wendy reached for a napkin off of our lieutenant's desk, "Our daughter and her nanny have gone missing."  
"That's why I felt this could possibly help with the case," the lieutenant flopped down, exhaustedly in his office chair, "I figured it's the same m.o. The Stevensons' nanny and their six year old daughter along with the Cullens' nanny and their five year old daughter have been taken. It has to relate somehow."

The lieutenant had a point. There can't be a coincidence that both the nanny and the child were taken in the same small town. It has to be a bigger picture.  
"Describe your daughter to us," Bella kneeled in front of Wendy, "I want to hear all about her. What she looks like? What's her personality like? What is she interested in?"

I knew what Bella was trying to do. She wanted to forge a connection with this missing child. By watching the home videos we formed a connection with Lily, and now she's trying to do the same with their daughter.  
"My little Erica," Wendy smiled after blowing her nose in the Kleenex, "she's just six. My baby has short, brunette hair, which stops just below her ears."

Eric interrupted his wife to add into the conversation, "She loves music. She plays the violin and the piano. She absolutely adores classical music." He smiled to himself, "Erica wears glasses and she is brilliant for a girl her age."  
"That will be it for Erica." Bella took a hold of both Wendy and Eric's hands, "What about her nanny?"

Wendy cleared her throat, "Suri is 26. She is from Indonesia. She has actually been with us since Erica was born."  
"Erica loved Suri, and Suri loved her. We all thought of Suri as a part of our family." Eric chimed in, "Acutally," Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo, "this is a picture we took last summer at our vacation beach house. Those are our other two children, Alexa and Brian. That's Suri, right there," he pointed towards the young lady holding Erica on her back.

Eric closed his wallet and tucked the leather back inside of his pants pocket. He wrapped one arm around his wife, and pressed a small peck against her forehead.  
"When exactly did Erica and Suri go missing?"

I watched both Wendy and Eric contemplate the exact date. Wendy's eyes rolled to the back in thought, "Um, about a month ago."  
"A MONTH AGO!" Bella immediately snatched her hand out of the Stevensons', "How come you waited so late to report this?"

Wendy broke down in her husband's arms. Eric took this as his opportunity to speak, "We really wanted to come to the cops, but they sent us a note." He reached into his other pocket and pulled it out.

**We have her.**

**No cops.**

**No News.**

**I'll send you a picture of Erica, every week, so you can see how fast she is growing into a beautiful little girl.**

"We're going to keep this." I handed the note to lieutenant, so he could read it for himself, "It's the same note that Rosalie and Emmett received."

Bella rose from her kneeled position, "I do have a question for you both." They looked up, giving her their undivided attention, "Why now? What made you speak up now?"

"We were supposed to get a picture, but it never came. We thought the pictures were late, but they stopped coming."  
"How long ago was this?" I wondered, handing the couple another tissue.  
"Four days ago."

Bella and I quickly made eye contact, "Bells, four days ago wasn't just the day the pictures stopped coming, it was also the day Lily was taken."

* * *

Bella and I stepped into the Cullens' manor, and quickly discarded our soaking wet jackets. The rainfall in Forks was always ridiculous and today was no exception.

Bella handed Walter her jacket, "Something smells really good." She looked around the pristine foyer, and smiled as Emmett entered the entrance hall.  
"Tiffany, who is one of our investors, was very generous with her offer. We're celebrating the launch of our new search engine." Emmett informed, leading us into the dining room, "To what do we owe this visit? We just saw you two not too long ago. Was there any updates?"

I followed behind Emmett, as Bella followed behind me. When Emmett slid open the dining room doors, we were met with the curious faces of the rest of his family, including his mother-in-law Diana.  
Diana smiled, "Detectives, welcome! Do you need to see Rosalie? I can go get her."  
"Have you seen the news lately?"  
"Are you talking about the Stevensons?" Rosalie's voice echoed through the dining room as she made her appearance from upstairs, "Their youngest daughter was taken. The cops think it was by the same people who kidnapped Lily."

Esme pointed towards two empty seats, "You two should stay for dinner. Please." I glanced to Bella and watched as she silently obliged and took a seat.  
"We can't say too much, but she was taken about a month ago." I sat down next to Bella.  
Diana looked to me in shock, as Dorothea refilled her wine glass, "What took them so long to report it?"  
"They received the notes like you all did, and then one day they stopped." Bella answered, watching in amazement as all of the food was brought out.

"Mom," Josh walked into the dining room, "can I go over Bree's house?"  
Rose looked up from her empty plate, "No," her head shook, "It's too late."  
"It's only six o'clock." Josh's arms crossed over his chest.

Rosalie rose to her feet, and walked around the dining room table, "Joshua, it's too late for you to be going over your girlfriend's house." She pinched both of his cheeks, and sternly smiled.  
"Mom, this isn't fair," Josh pulled away from his mother, "I know what I'm doing," He looked over to Emmett, "Dad?"  
Emmett raised his hands in the air, "Your mother has spoken son."

Joshua's feet could be heard stomping off out of the dining room. Rose turned to face the table, before walking over to her seat, "Thank goodness I have a teenager who knows everything so I don't have to use my insight into life's experiences to help them out!" She shrugged her shoulders, "Thank goodness they got it all covered!"

Diana felt her daughter take a hold of her hand, "As an adult, I would like to apologize to you mom for ever being a teenager." Rose pecked her mother's cheek as the food started to get served.  
"Sorry for the interruption," Rosalie gave us her best smile, "please continue…"  
Bella looked to me to continue, I nodded my head in response, "We got word that a month ago the Stevensons' youngest daughter Erica was taken. The family received a note like you all did, and following the month they received pictures, until recently." I paused as Bella's cell phone rang, she quietly slipped out of the dining room to answer it, "We're still trying to piece everything else together."

"Edward," Rosalie leaned forward, "do you all even have any leads?"  
"Actually-" I was interrupted by Bella's presence, "Who was that?"  
She slid her phone into her pocket, "The coroner," she sadly looked around, "The body that was found belonged to Suri Harto."  
"Who is that?" Alice looked between mine and Bella's face.  
"The Stevensons' Nanny."

Rosalie silently rose from her seat and walked off. Emmett stopped Diana and Jasper from going after her. She needed her space. She needed quiet. It was nothing anyone could say to make her feel better at this point. At least there was nothing a family member could say, I decided to give it a shot.

I followed Rosalie up the staircase, "We're trying our hardest," I watched her stop in the center of the hallway, "We're doing everything we can to bring your daughter back."  
"Do you have kids' detective?" Rose approached me, as I shook my head, "Well, do you want kids?"  
"Yes, someday."

She silently nodded, as she led me into her husband's office. It was filled with family pictures hanging on the walls.  
"I know you came up here to try and cheer me up," she took a seat at her husband's desk, "but as a parent, the only way I can be cheered up is by having all of my kids safe and sound."

"I can promise-"  
"Don't make promises you can't keep." She interrupted, pointing towards the empty seat across from her, "Look detective, if I put a wall up, it's for a reason. If I let it down, it's because I trust you. So please do not ruin that."  
"I won't fail you." I promised, giving her a definite nod.

In training we learned that we're not supposed to make promises that we cannot keep. It's all easier said than done. Looking into the eyes of a parent as they mope about their missing child forces anyone with a heart to try and cheer them up.

Rosalie circled around the desk and pulled me into a warm embrace. I inhaled the scent of her perfume as I felt her relax in my arms. "Thank you," she whispered in my ear before pulling away.  
"Knock knock…" Emmett announced, as he and Jared entered his office.

Jared pushed open the door and ran towards his mother, "Mommy, I'm sorry!" He wrapped his arms around her waist, "You're not the meanest mom in the world!"

Rose stooped low and gave her youngest son a smile, "Thanks baby," she pecked his cheek, "That really means a lot." She pressed another kiss to his forehead.  
"Josh will get over it," Jared assured, patting his mom's shoulder.  
Rose laughed and gave her son a gentle smile, "I know he will."

The doorbell ringing interrupts Rose and Jared's mom and son moment and forces her back into reality. The gentle smile on her face slowly disappears as she takes a hold of her son's hand, "Let's go see who that is."

I follow them out of Emmett Cullen's office, and I close the door behind me. I hear greetings down the stairs. There's a man with eyes that resemble Rosalie and Jasper's.  
"Sorry I'm late," the man says, "I had to close up a case first."  
"You're here now." Diana smiles and pulls the man into a hug, "That's all that matters now."

Rose releases her son's hand, and takes a hold of the man's hand, "Uncle Ryan, this is Detective Bella Swan and this is Detective Edward Mason. Detectives, this is my father's brother, my uncle Ryan Hale. He works for the FBI in the Seattle branch."

Ryan shakes Bella's hand before shaking mine.  
"I came to offer up my help, if you two need it."  
Bella smiles and glances towards me, "That would be great. We can really use all the help we can get."

**A/N: **

**Only four more chapters to go. On another note, please check out Revenge! It's a story of family, vengeance and heartache! **

**-Tiffany.**


	11. Body Count: Two

**Bella:**

The conversation over dinner consisted of me and Edward filling Ryan in on everything we knew about Lily's kidnapping, which isn't much. We informed him of our suspicions, and other uncertainties that we were able to rule out.  
"If they killed Suri," Emmett handed Dorothea his finished plate, "does that mean he's going to eventually kill Nina?"  
"We don't know." Edward answered.

Ryan tucked his mini notepad away, "If I may speak," he looked to me and Edward as we nodded, "There could be plenty of reasons why they killed Suri. She could have tried to escape. Suri could have talked or fought back. Or there could have been no reason at all. We can't jump to conclusions until we have the evidence to back it up." Edward nodded in agreement, backing Ryan up.  
"We should be going." I said, handing over my plate, "We have an early day tomorrow."  
"Yeah, give me a call tomorrow." Ryan handed Edward his card.

Edward looked to Rose and gave her a calming smile. He set his hand on top of her shoulder, "We're going to bring her back. We're not giving up."  
She mouthed thanks.

Edward and I headed for the front door, grabbed our jackets from Walter and ran to the car in the pouring rain.  
"You promised her." I whispered, sliding into the passenger seat, "We can't guarantee the safe return of her daughter."  
Edward started the car, "I know Bell, I couldn't help myself."  
"You're going to have an extremely angry mother to deal with if we can't find her child."  
Edward nodded in understanding as we backed out of the Cullens' driveway.

The car ride to my house was silent. It was about to be day five since Lily's abduction, and it's about to be month two since Erica's abduction. This ordeal was affecting all of us. It was hard to stay clear-headed when we had three people's lives in our hands.  
"I'll see you tomorrow." I leaned over the armrest and pecked Edward's cheek, "Give me a call when you're on your way."

Edward smiled and gave me a nod. I exited the car and ran to the front door of my townhouse. Once I unlocked the door, and walked in, he pulled off. I locked the door behind me, and turned off my alarm.  
I glanced around my living room, "Whiskers!" Immediately my cat jumped onto the arm of the sofa.

I picked my cat up, and heard him purr in my embrace. I carried him upstairs with me, and laid him on his bed, located next to mine. I didn't bother changing my clothes. I was too exhausted to do so. I just wanted to pass out and not wake up until summer.

* * *

I grabbed the coffee mug, as my cell phone blared through my townhouse. I raced to the living room, and looked around for the ringing device. I spotted Whiskers sprawled out on top of it.  
"I need this." I took a sip of my coffee, before sliding my phone out from beneath my cat.

I placed the phone against my ear, "Swan."  
"Bella it's me. I'm on my way."

I smiled down at the framed photo resting on the end table in front of me. It was taken of me and Edward last year at our annual Christmas party. My mind immediately drifts away to when things were much simpler for me and Edward. Our old cases involved white collar crimes, such as tax evasion and fraud. Now, we're working on darker crimes, and I can't stand it one bit. I want things to go back to where I could come home, and actually not think about my casework.  
"Bella, did you hear me?"  
"Wait, what?"  
Edward sighed into the phone, "The van was found abandoned."  
"Okay, I'm about to get ready!" I hung up the phone, set my coffee down, and raced upstairs.

I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, washed out my coffee mug, and toasted myself a bagel. I heard a car horn honk, and I automatically knew it was Edward. I pecked Whiskers cheek, grabbed my jacket and ran outside. I was not at all surprised to find it raining in Forks.  
"Good Morning!" I greeted, hopping into the car.

Edward smiled, and leaned forward to peck my lips, "Good Morning." He backed out of the parking space, "I called Ryan. He's going to meet us there."

The van was abandoned by Forks National Bridge. The same bridge that Suri's body was found floating beneath. The two back doors of the van were opened wide, and CSIs filled the vehicle inspecting every inch of it. The crime scene investigators are swabbing the large amounts of blood scattered all throughout the vehicle.  
"They're taking multiple samples just in case the blood belongs to more than one person." Ryan informed, not taking his eyes off of the inspecting CSIs.

Once the CSIs were done, me, Ryan and Edward approached the van. Ryan handed us gloves, and he pulled a pair on his own hands himself. In the corner of the van, there was a small, white sweater coated in blood.  
"Wait," Ryan called out, lifting the sweater and bagging it, "I'll hand this to the CSIs. We need the blood on this sweater tested."

Ryan exits the van, as Edward taps my shoulder.  
"What's up?"  
"Look," he points towards a locked trunk, "Help me pull this out."

I used both hands to pick up one side, as Edward lifted the other. We hopped out of the van, and gently sat the trunk down.  
I pulled at the lock, "It won't budge."

Edward pulled me back, unstrapped his gun and shot at the lock once. Immediately it broke apart and fell to the rocky ground. I threw the trunk opened and resting inside was another body. I waved the coroner over, before backing away from the trunk.  
"What was it?" Ryan rushed over to me.  
"It was another body."

Ryan left my side to assist the coroner. Edward joined me, and grabbed my hand. He looked into my eyes, and gave me a comforting smile.  
I snatched my hand out of his, "I don't want any more bodies!"  
"Then we have to find this sicko!"

The CSIs surrounded the body and the trunk and took pictures. Ryan walked over towards us, and pulled off his gloves, "I'm going to stay here. I'll call you two when the coroner cleans off her body. When the body is clean, I will be able to identify whether it's Nina or not."  
"Okay," Edward nodded, "We're going to head over to your niece's house."

* * *

Walter swung the door wide open before we could even knock. He bowed his head as we stepped inside, "Ryan called. We were expecting you."

Edward and I stood in our usual spot in the foyer, waiting for one of the Cullens' to appear. The first to come was Josh, with a girl around his age.  
"Bree, these are the detectives working on my sister's case," Joshua introduced, "Detectives, this is my girlfriend Bree."

I extended my hand, and shook hers. Edward followed once our handshake was over.  
"I hope you find her," Bree said, wrapping her arm around Joshua's waist, "my dad and I really liked her. She was sweet."

Bree and Joshua flashed us a quick smile before walking into the dining room. Following them down the stairs, was Rosalie and Emmett with Sam.  
"Mom, you promised you would stop calling me that!" Sam exclaimed, pulling away from his mother's grasp, "Sammikins is not cool!"  
Rose pouted, "I did promise you that, didn't I?" Sam nodded, "Fine. I'll stop."

Sam nodded once again, and allowed his mother to throw her arm around his shoulders, "You used to like it."  
"That's when I was younger Mom," Sam rolled his eyes, "I'm hungry. Where's grandma and grandpa?"  
"They should be in the dining room," Emmett answered, sliding open the dining room doors.

Rosalie watched her son enter the dining room, before turning to face us. She waited for Emmett to close the doors before speaking.  
"Good morning," she greeted, waving us into the living room, "are there any updates?"

Emmett walked over, "Ryan called. He told us what he could, but has there been any recent developments."  
"No," I shook my head, "I'm just curious. Before Lily was taken, did any of you notice anyone take a sudden interest in her?"  
Emmett thought for a second before shaking his head. He glanced to his wife, "Riley Monroe."  
"What?" A whispered voice responded from behind the Cullens.

Bree raced towards us, in a panic, "My dad wouldn't do this! He didn't do this!"  
"I'm not accusing your dad of anything sweetheart," Rose placed a calming hand against the teenager's shoulder, "It's just when they first met, he took a liking to her. She's the only person he talked to and interacted with."  
Bree shoved Rosalie's hand off, "I will admit my dad has a past that he isn't proud of, but he didn't do this." She glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend quickly, before turning to face us, "I just got my dad back and after my mom died, he's the only parent I have left."

"You just got him back? What do you mean by that?" I questioned, crossing my arms.  
"It's not like he wanted to leave, he had to leave."

Edward approached the teenager and quirked a brow, "Tell us your opinion on Lillian Cullen."  
"She seemed sweet. I really didn't get a chance to talk to her."  
"Was it because your dad hogged all of her time? Where was your dad during the time of Lily's abduction?" Edward shrugged, watching the panic rise in Bree's face, "Something's not adding up Bree. Either you tell us, or we're going to dig until we find out."  
Bree inhaled a deep breath, before slowly releasing it, "I should leave, but my dad is innocent. You're looking into the wrong guy."  
"We'll find out soon enough," I smirked, and stepped around her to allow her to leave, "oh and Bree," she turned to glance at me, "Tell your dad not to leave town any time soon."

I heard Edward's cell phone ring, cutting through the thick silence that filled the Cullens' living room. He stepped outside in order to take it.  
"We didn't mean to spoil any breakfast-" Before I could finish, Emmett waved his hand in order to cut me off.  
"Detective you were only doing your job. No need for apologies."

"Mom!"  
Rose passed me a small smile, "A mother's job is never done." She backed into the hall and raced upstairs to answer the call of her youngest son.

"Hey Bella," Edward called out, sticking his head into the dining room, "that was the lieutenant. He wants us back to the precinct; we have another family and another kidnapping."

* * *

Edward and I burst through the door of our lieutenant's office. The two seats that were once occupied by the Cullens' and then by the Stevensons', were now occupied by George and Patricia Cunningham. They owned the Eclipse car franchise that is slowly spreading not only through the state of Washington, but throughout the country.

The lieutenant ran his hand down his face, "Tell them what you told me."  
"Our daughter, Jenna, was kidnapped two months ago," Patricia struggled to control her breathing, "along with her nanny Padma Gupta."

I understood that they were scared, but they need us and our expertise if they even think they're going to find her. I tapped my foot irritatingly, "Describe her to us."  
"My Jenna," Patricia softly chuckled, and added "she has long and curly auburn hair and lots of freckles. She's only seven. Jenna is a little comedian. That little girl can make you laugh your head off."  
I interrupted, "What about Padma?"  
"She's from India." George answered, using the fabric of his shirt to clean the lenses on his glasses, "Padma was like part of the family. She was with us ever since Jenna was born. Padma loved us, especially Jenna," George reached into his coat pocket, "I have a picture, this is Jenna and Padma," he pointed to two of the people in the photo, "this is our two other daughters Kristen and Lydia."

George smiled down at the photo of his three girls and Padma. He wiped underneath his eye, before extending the photo towards us.  
"You keep it," I pushed his hand back gently; "We're going to do everything we can to find your daughter.  
Edward leaned forward, "Are you both familiar with Lillian Cullen and Erica Stevenson?"  
"Yes," Patricia nodded.  
"We feel their kidnappings and your daughter's kidnapping are related."

Before I could add on, my cell phone blared through the lieutenant's office. I held up a finger, as I pressed the cell against my ear, "Swan."  
"It's Ryan."

I mouthed Ryan's name to Edward. Edward nodded his head and escorted the Cunninghams' out of lieutenant's office and to the elevator.  
"Hey Ryan."  
"Hey." He quickly responded before getting straight to the point, "The coroner cleaned the victim up."  
"Yeah," I pressed, standing up.  
"It's Nina."

**-Tiffany.**


	12. Nanny Agency

**Edward: **

I parked in front of the Cullens' house, "Bella, think about it," I unbuckled my seat belt, and turned to face her, "What do all of three of these kidnappings have in common?"  
"Um, wealthy families, little girls,"  
"And foreign nannies." I added, watching as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "Just hear me out, each nanny was from a different country," I opened my car door, "I'm willing to bet that each of them were appointed from the same agency."

Bella silently thought about the inference I drew. It was hard to try and comprehend. Were the nannies involved in something that got themselves killed and the little girls' they watched after taken? The nannies were all close with the families they worked for, and it would devastate each family if they knew Nina, Suri and Padma had something to do with the kidnappings.

Bella knocked gently on the door, "Are you going to tell them?" We weren't planning on telling the Cullens' about our suspicions, but they did deserve to know about Nina. She was a part of their family.  
"Detectives," Rosalie opened the door, "come on in."

It was the first time someone other than Walter opened the door. I figured he may have been off, but he was standing to the side.  
"What's that?" Bella pointed toward the manila envelope in Emmett's hands.  
Emmett held the envelope towards us, "Photos of Lily came today. She looks safe. She's alive."

I took the folder from Emmett's hands, and slid the three pictures out. In each picture, Lily was red faced and sitting in a poorly lit room. Her hair was in disheveled pig tails and her clothes were a little grungy. Other than that, she looked perfectly fine.  
"We don't know when these photos were taken." Bella informed, sliding the pictures back into the envelope, "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I wanted to stay honest with you."  
Rose grabbed the envelope, "I appreciate that detective."

Ryan appeared from upstairs, with his hands tucked in his pockets. He shook his head at me and Bella. He didn't break the news to Rosalie and Emmett.  
"Did you see the pictures?" I asked him, as he pecked the side of his niece's head.  
"I did," He nodded, taking the envelope from her, "I was going to run it to the lab and get prints tested. I wish there was a return address, but," he shrugged his shoulders, "it's not. We'll just have to hope that one of the kidnappers licked the envelope."

Walter handed Ryan his jacket and opened the door for the older Hale. As Ryan stepped out, Alice and Jasper stepped in from the dining room with Esme, Diana and Carlisle following closely behind.  
"Can we take a seat?" I pulled off my jacket.

Walter came over to take it, but I refused. It wasn't the time for pleasantries. Bella and I came to break bad news.  
"I know we said we didn't want to be the bearer of bad news," Bella and I followed them into the living room, "but we have bad news to bear," I took a seat on the couch.

I could hear Rosalie's heels slowly approach, "Detective, don't tell me. Is it Lily?"  
"No," Bella quickly shook her head, "It's Nina."  
"Her body was found this morning stashed away in the black van that we believe was the getaway vehicle they used to kidnap your daughter."

Rosalie flopped down in the seat next to me, "It wasn't her. It couldn't have been."  
"Your uncle was able to id her after the coroner cleaned the blood and dirt from her body." I explained, looking up to see Emmett leaning against the wall.

His hand ran down his face, and when he revealed his eyes, they were teary and red. Esme silently cried in her husband's arms, Diana sat next to her daughter and rubbed soothing circles into her back, Jasper paced back and forth, and Alice pulled her brother off of the wall and into her small arms.  
"She's from Mexico," Emmett started, sighing in his sister's consoling arms, "We're not sure if she even has any family. Is there any way her body could be released to us?  
"You're going to have to meet with the coroner." Bella answered.

"How," Esme pulled out of her husband's arms, "How did she die?"  
I stood up; "Multiple gunshot wounds."  
"Is there anything else we should know?" Carlisle furrowed his brow. He didn't know who to comfort first. His wife was crying, but so were his kids and his in-laws.

"When Lily went missing," the name of their missing daughter leaving Bella's mouth sparked everyone's ears, "was she wearing a white sweater?"  
Rose looked around, thinking intently, "Yeah. Yes, she was." Rosalie stood up and approached Bella, "Why?"  
"We were just wondering."

I know withholding information was technically lying by omission, but they didn't need to know the truth. Yes, we found a lot of blood on the girl's sweater, but we didn't know if it was hers or not. Why get them even more upset?  
"Rosalie," my partner spoke up, "can we speak to you?"

Rose stood up, and followed us. We went out the front since it finally stopped raining. She took a seat on the porch step, and wrapped her arms around her legs.  
"We're planning to question Riley Monroe," I informed her, taking the seat next to her, "Is there anyone else who seems suspicious to you? Even if it's for something minor, everything helps."  
"Victoria," she whispered.

Bella pulled out her cell, "Who is Victoria?"  
"She's one of my friends, but the other day we had this huge argument about children. It just sounded, I don't know, iffy to me."  
"How did you come across Nina?"

Rosalie looked up at Bella, and answered her question, "I hired her from a nanny agency."  
"We need a name," I responded, nodding towards Bella to write it down.  
"Uh, it was…" she closed her eyes and struggled to force herself to remember, "Um, Keepsake Nannies!"

Bella nodded, typed it into the notes on cell, and looked up, "Have you talked to the agency since then?"  
"We're their clients; they like to keep in touch with us."

I met her eyes, "When was the last time they spoke to you?"  
"Um, it was around two or three weeks ago."

We were done questioning her, but we didn't want to leave her in this state. She looked broken. Her eyes were red, puffy and wet from the tears escaping them. She rested her head on her legs, and sighed, "Is there anything else?"  
"You know," Bella smiled, and sat on the step beneath the one Rosalie was on, "you have the life a lot of girls dream about."

Rose wiped her eyes, "I worked for this lifestyle. It wasn't handed to me."  
"Yeah, you're definitely a fairy tale."  
"Why do you say?"

I decided to sit back and listen to the conversation between my partner and Rosalie.  
"You came from nothing," Bella shrugged, "You met the man of your dreams and lived happily ever after."  
"Under the circumstances, I wouldn't say happily ever after."

She had a point. The kidnapping of her youngest child wasn't a normal fairytale ending. However, getting her back safe and sound would be.  
"Besides that, it's just…perfect."

Rosalie smirked, "you make it sound like sunflowers and daisies, and" her head shook swiftly, "it wasn't that easy. My dad died when I was young. My mother had to work more than one job just to support me and my brother. I wanted more out of life, you know?" Bella nodded in understand, "I worked hard in school and earned a full ride scholarship to one of the best schools in the state. That school is where I met my husband, and we just clicked."

Before Bella could respond, we heard the front door open. Sam, Rosalie's second eldest appeared and glanced at his mother, "Mom, when are you coming back inside?"  
"I'm enjoying the fresh air and the detectives company," she passed us a small smile; "I'll be out here for a minute."

He closed the door behind him, "Want more company?"  
"If it's yours, of course." She slid over and allowed him to take a seat on the other side of her.

Bella watched Sam take a seat, "How do you do it Rosalie?"  
"Do what?" The mother of four wrapped her arm around her son's waist.  
"How do you run your household with an iron fist without pulling your hair out?"

Rose couldn't help but laugh, "Is that what it looks like?"  
"You work full time, you raise four kids, and you manage a staff," Bella continued, further making her point, "My parents had middle-class jobs, raised two kids and they still could barely make it home in time to make dinner. What's your secret?"  
Rosalie shook her head, "No secret," she glanced at her son, "Family is important. I had help, including Nina's, god rest her soul. For everything else, I guess I'm just used to taking charge since I had to do it for basically my entire life."

"Your kids are lucky."  
"You hear that Sam?" Rose quickly looked at her son.  
He laughs, "Yeah, Mom I already knew you were the best." He turned to face her, "And if you want to call me Sammikins, you can."

Rose looked into her son's eyes, "I thought you didn't like that name."  
"I don't," he shrugged, "but you like it and it makes you happy, and if it makes you happy then I guess I'm happy."  
Rosalie pulled her second oldest into her over-bearing motherly arms, and pecked the side of his face. She pecked his cheek again, and smiled, "It's moments like this I cherish the most Bella," her eyes flashed to my partner, "With boys, you never know when they're going to come."  
"Alright mom, remember mom germs." Sam laughed.  
She dropped her arms, "And moment ruined."

I stood up and followed Bella to the car. At first we didn't want to leave Mrs. Cullen out here, alone, but now we could. She was in the right hands. Bella's cell rang as we entered the vehicle. She answered it, as I buckled my seat belt. I looked up to see Rosalie talking with Sam, and now Jared and Joshua. They had joined their mother and brother seconds after me and Bella got into the car.

Jared was seated in the spot I previously sat. His head was on his mother's shoulder, as she chuckled lightly.  
"Both Riley and Victoria are at the precinct," Bella informed, hanging up her cell, "They're waiting to be questioned."

* * *

"I don't understand what I am doing here!" Victoria shouted, tapping her nails along the table, "Should I call my lawyer?"  
I entered the interrogation room, "You're not being arrested, at least not yet."

"Why am I here?" she calmly asked, setting her purse down.  
"Does Lillian Cullen ring any bells?"  
Victoria nodded, "She's my friend's daughter."  
"My daughter is dating her older brother." Riley added, shrugging his shoulders.

"We heard that you've made multiple statements to Rosalie regarding Lillian and her kidnapping." Bella summed up while taking a seat across from the suspects, "Do you have any comment?"  
"I just spoke how I feel. Rosalie and I always say what's on our minds. I didn't take her. Would I take her? No, she's one of my closest friend's daughters. I wouldn't do that to her."

I looked into Victoria's eyes and analyzed the depth of her response. Bella rose from her seat and grabbed the folder Lauren peeked in to hand over. Her eyes quickly scanned the contents inside, before slamming it shut.  
She pulled a seat up to Riley, "We heard that you seemed to have taken an interest in Lillian. Do you want to tell us the reason for that?"  
"No," he shook his head, "I'm just a people person. I like socializing. Is that so wrong?"

Riley didn't back down. He looked in my partner's eyes and waited for her response.  
"It is Mr. Monroe, only when the person you're socializing with is underage." Bella smashed the folder onto the table, "You have sexual desires for children. You are what we consider a pedophile. Isn't that why you went to jail?"  
Riley snatched the folder, and closed it, "That was the old me! I'm not like that anymore!"

"You're on parole," Bella continued, calming herself down, "How would your parole officer feel if he found out you were found talking to and hugging a now missing five year old girl?" Riley was speechless. He opened his mouth, but no voice or noise broke through. Bree did say that he had to leave. I guess this was the reason why he had to go away.

I leaned forward, "Why did you spend so much time with her, especially when the rest of the family was there for you to talk to?"  
"I just wanted to make sure I was better. I had to; I had to know I was better." Riley wiped the corners of his mouth, "She was so nice. She came up to me and she started a conversation. There was no judgment in her eyes. All that was there was pure innocence."  
"Why didn't you tell anyone that you went to jail and the reason why you went?" I questioned next.

Riley stuck his hands into his pockets, "It was none of their business. I knew if I said something I would automatically be a suspect."  
"You're a suspect regardless." Bella added, snatching the folder from him, "Where were you at the time of Lillian's kidnapping?"  
"I was checking in with my parole officer! I have his number if you want to give him a call!"

"Give it to Lauren on your way out." I rose from my seat, "You both may go."

Victoria snatched her purse from off of the table, "People like you Riley make me sick." She shoved past him and left out of the interrogation room.

I looked to Bella as the interrogation room cleared out. I could see the panic in her eyes. She was thinking the same thing I was. The more time that passed, then the less chance we had at finding the three missing girls.  
"I got Lauren working on the address of the Keepsake Nannies Agency," Bella took a seat on the table, "tomorrow afternoon we can stop by."

**-Tiffany.**


	13. Solving The Case

**The 11****th**** Day**

**Bella:**

I ran to Edward's car so I wouldn't get too wet from the rain. We arrived to the Nanny Agency in less than twenty minutes. Edward and I took deep breaths before entering the small business building. I saw a variety of foreign women walking around. They ranged from Asians, to Hispanics, to Africans. There were so many varieties.

"Excuse me" I proclaimed, tapping a woman on her shoulder.

"Hello" the woman answered, in a thick accent.

"I'm Edward, and this is my partner Bella" Edward introduced, as she turned to me, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you" she mumbled, as I shook her hand.

"Where are the owners of this agency" I asked, looking around.

"Steven and Molly" the woman wondered, pointing towards a picture hanging in the hall.

"Yes" I answered, as her head slowly went down.

"They are…how do you say…out of town…on…how do you say…business" the woman informed us, leading us into the main part of the building.

"What's your name" I asked, curiously.

"Romy Denisof" she answered, holding her hand out once again.

"Where are you from" I questioned, shaking her hand.

"Austria" Romy answered, proudly.

"Do you know a Nina Martinez"

"Yes…a little! I mean, Vera was closer to her" Romy said, motioning for us to follow her.

"Can you take us to her" Edward asked, pleadingly.

"Yes" Romy replied, before the hall fell quiet.

Romy led us to a small room, which contained two single beds, a nightstand, a lamp, and a small closet. A thin brunette sat cross-legged on her bed reading a book that was in another language.

"Vera." I whispered, slowly approaching her.

Vera's head quickly snapped up and she closed the book.

"Who are you" Vera asked, backing away from us.

"I'm Bella and this is my partner Edward." I introduced, taking a seat beside her.

"Where are you from" Edward asked, trying to make conversation.

"Germany." Vera answered, loosening up a bit.

"How did Steven and Molly find you? How did they get you over here?" I questioned, as Edward pulled out his note pad.

"On there business trips they find girls. Young girls. Girls who need money and will do anything to get it. Girls that don't mind leaving their family behind. They promise us a better life in the United States" Vera muttered, in a small accent, speaking perfect English.

"How long have you been here" I asked, resting my hand against her knee.

"I came here when I was 15. So, about ten years." Vera answered, before reaching into her bag.

"Who are they" I questioned, as she pulled a picture out of her bag.

"My family" Vera answered, holding the picture against her chest.

"I've heard that you know Nina Martinez"

"Yes, she's a good friend. She was like a little sister to me. I loved her very much. All of my family is back in Germany, and hers is in Costa Rica, so we pretty much adopted each other as sisters" Vera explained, smiling off into space.

"I'm sorry Vera, but Nina is dead" I informed her, as her eyes grew wide.

"No! No! No! No! She can't be!" Vera shouted, pulling onto her hair.

"How did that happen" Vera cried out, holding her hand out to me.

"Do you know Lillian Cullen" I questioned, showing her the wallet size photo I had of Lily and Nina.

"Yes! She and Nina were like best friends! I loved Lily just like I loved Nina! Nina and I use to take Lily to Forks National Park every Saturday." Vera said, grinning off into the distance.

"Wait. Pause." I said, cutting her off.

"You said every Saturday" I wondered, repeating her statement.

"Yes" Vera answered.

"Did you tell anyone you were going to the park every Saturday" Edward asked, moving closer to Vera.

"Um..yes. Steven, Molly, and Tanya" Vera whispered, as silent tears rolled down her face.

"Who is Tanya" I asked, standing up.

"Tanya Denali. She's the woman who finds families that need a nanny"

"Bella, Tanya Denali was our witness. The only witness to survive" Edward said, through gritted teeth.

"Did you go to the park last Saturday" Edward asked, taking Vera's hand in his.

"No, I couldn't. Tanya had me in an interview with a potential family. What's going on? Why am I being asked all of these questions?"

"Last Saturday, on their way home from the park both Nina and Lily were taken" I informed her, avoiding eye contact.

"By who?" Vera shrieked, standing up.

"We don't know, but we're going to find out" I assured, walking towards the door.

"Wait! You forgot your picture" Vera whispered, as silent tears continued to fall.

I looked at the picture of Nina and Lily once more before speaking again.

"You can have it"

I followed Edward out of Vera's room and we headed towards the front of the building when we saw none other than Tanya Denali entering with a stack of folders.

"Officers, I already told you that's all I saw. I didn't see anything else" Tanya sighed, placing the folders onto her desk.

"Why did you stop Vera from going to the park with Nina and Lily" I asked, crossing my arms.

"What? That has nothing to do with the case!" Tanya shouted, taking a seat behind her desk.

"That has everything to do with the case" I growled, slamming my hands down onto the stack of folders.

"Answer. The. Question." Edward said, through gritted teeth.

"I don't know. My boss Steven called me and told me do whatever I could to keep Vera from leaving" Tanya admitted, nervously.

"Do you think they kidnapped that little girl" Tanya asked, staring into my eyes.

"For your sake, you better hope not" Edward asserted, before storming out of the building.

We headed back towards the Cullens' house to inform them of everything we found out. Carlisle and Esme were what you call pissed. They pulled each family member into the dining room leaving me and Edward with Rosalie's friends Kate and Jacob.

"Do you think you know who took Lily and killed Nina" Kate asked, trying to make conversation.

"We have a pretty good idea" I answered, angrily.

"Do you think Lily is okay" Jacob wondered, rocking back and forth, nervously.

"I really hope so" I sighed, exhaling the breath I was holding in.

"How well do you all know Rosalie" Edward asked, causing Kate and Jacob's head to snap in his direction.

"Do you think we did it!" Kate shrieked, standing up.

"NO!" I shouted, before continuing.

"We just want to cover all of our bases before pointing fingers"

"We've known Rosalie for years. I knew her for basically my whole life" Jacob admitted, grinning as Rose entered the living room.

"Are you staying for dinner" Rose asked, as Edward's beeper went off.

"Actually we have another body, so I don't think so, but thanks anyway" Edward informed her, showing me his page.

"For some reason Edward, I think this body belongs to Jenny's nanny, Padma Gupta" I whispered, before following him out of the door.

* * *

Arriving at the same destination the first body was found, DNA evidence proved that our body was Padma's. She died from multiple gun shot wounds.

"I'm calling the airlines" Edward growled, opening his cell phone before walking away.

I stooped lower to look at Padma's body. How come she was the first nanny kidnapped and the last nanny to die? Why are the nannies being killed? I felt around Padma's skirt and pulled out her wallet. It contained her visa card and a photo of her and Jenny. These nannies really love the children they are caring after.

"Bella!" Edward shouted, causing me to jump in fright.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, standing up.

"Steven and Molly never went out of town. They lied to the nannies at the agency! They lied to Tanya! They never even booked a flight. They've been hiding out for two months. And two months ago Padma and Jenny were taken" Edward explained, pulling me towards his car.

**Review:**

**Sad to say we have one more chapter left before this story is complete. Sad to see it end, but it was fun while it lasted. But, lets look at the bright side, my birthday is tomorrow (December 14****th****) **

**-Tiffany.**


	14. Reunion

**The 12****th**** Day**

**

* * *

****Edward:**

It took an entire day to get a warrant to search Steven and Molly's house. The judge didn't want to pass it, but we continued to show more sufficient evidence against them, so he really didn't have a choice. Molly and Steven are guilty. I just know they are. I have that gut feeling all cops have. And I have learned to trust my gut.

Outside of Steven and Molly's home the FBI, SWAT, and the cops swarmed around. The Cullens' , Cunninghams' and Stevensons' waited behind our vehicles for their children. Honestly, we don't even know Steven and Molly have their kids, and if their kids are even alive.

Usually after the third day a child has been kidnapped we give up hope and declare them dead, but we couldn't do that to the Cullens', especially Rosalie.

"Is everyone packed up" I asked, sliding on my bullet proof vest.

"You can't go in there!" Wendy exclaimed, as silent tears rolled down her face.

"I have to!" I shouted, placing my handgun into my sock.

"Children are in there!" Patricia bellowed, leaning against the SWAT truck.

"We have to go in" I whispered, trying to see it from there point of view.

"Please don't! I'm begging you!" Patricia cried out, grabbing onto my hand.

"Why are you on my property?" Molly screamed, walking out the front of her house.

"We're going to ask you this once! Release the hostages!" the lieutenant shouted, angrily.

Molly glared at each person standing before backing her way back into the house.

"Aim at her" the lieutenant yelled, pointing at Molly.

"If I die then so does those kids" Molly bellowed, before smiling at us.

"How can she be so happy" Rose asked, shaking her head at the pitiful sight in front of us.

"What do you want?" Wendy shouted, stepping onto the lawn.

"Get her back here." the lieutenant commanded, as the SWAT positioned around the vehicles.

"Money." Molly laughed, winking at Rosalie.

"You're sick! Why can't you earn money like the rest of us?" Esme bellowed, making her presence known.

"You all didn't earn anything. You got it handed to you. Everything you have was handed to you" Molly said, through gritted teeth.

"How much do you want us to give you" Rose asked, finally speaking up.

"I don't want your money!" Molly exclaimed, before starting to laugh.

"What are you talking about? You said you wanted money! We have money we can give you!" Wendy proclaimed, moving closer.

"I have my own ways at getting money that involves your daughters!" Molly giggled, winking at all of us.

"You're sick!" Rose shouted, clenching her fists.

"They owe me. Lily, Erica and Jenny owe me! I provided them with nannies. Good Nannies!"

"Why'd you have to kill her? Why'd you have to kill Nina?" Rose asked, trying to control her emotions.

"Because of course she recognized me. I couldn't have her sell me out! She had to go, along with Suri and Padma" Molly explained, gripping the knob on the door.

"Give me my child! I want my daughter!" Rose shouted, impatiently.

"Too bad, you can't have her" Molly remarked, before walking into the house.

"I'm going in." Wendy said, through gritted teeth.

"I'm going with her." Patricia and Rose said, in unison.

"You three aren't going anywhere. Men control your wives." I demanded, grabbing my other weapon.

"We want Edward! Send in Edward!" Molly shouted, before closing the door.

"Edward, they want you so you're going to have to go in." the lieutenant whispered, patting his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't screw this up!" Carlisle said, through gritted teeth.

"Remember my daughter is in there." Emmett growled, glaring at the house.

I walked slowly and cautiously towards the house. The front door remained open and every few seconds I would look back to see Bella holding up her thumb for good luck. Once I enter this house these girls lives are in my hands. I walked through the door and heard it slam close behind me. I heard a small giggle before I immediately turned around.

"What do you want? We'll give you anything!" I whispered, slowly approaching her.

"Stay away from me!" Molly shouted, holding her hand out.

"Where are the girls? Where's your husband?" I asked, looking around.

"The girls are fine…for now, and my husband is with the girls" Molly proclaimed, prancing around the living room of her house.

"What did you call me in here for if you're not going to give me the girls" I asked, angrily, storming towards her.

I gripped her neck and slammed her against the wall. I lifted her up so her feet weren't touching the ground.

"Release her" growled a deep, menacing voice.

I released her neck and quickly turned around. I saw Steven standing there with three small girls. One being Lillian, the other two being Erica and Jenny.

"Are you three okay" I asked, rushing to their sides.

"Yes" Erica cried out, covering her face.

"I'm going to get you all back to your parents" I assured, patting their shoulders.

"Nina got hurt!" Lillian cried out, as Steven and Molly began to laugh.

"And Padma and Suri" Jenny added, crying into her hands.

"Silly children, they're not hurt! They're dead!" Steven said, through gritted teeth.

"I want my mommy!" Lillian cried out, as Steven pulled the trigger back on his gun.

"Get her quiet or I will!" Steven threatened, menacingly.

"Lillian shush!" I whispered, rubbing her back.

Lillian continued to cry so Steven used his gun to go across her face. She fell down as her nose began to bleed.

"Molly get this brat some tissue" Steven ordered, as I immediately ran to her side.

I helped Lillian stand back up as she started crying again.

"You aren't getting out of here alive, so you might as well give up before someone else gets hurt!" I shouted, pulling the little girl into my arms.

"We already have three bodies on our hands! I don't think three more bodies will make a difference"

"Give the children up, and you can get whatever you want. A helicopter. Millions of dollars. Anything." I declared, rubbing the little girl's back.

"We don't want any of that!" Steven shouted, pointing the gun towards me.

"You aren't getting out of here free! You are either going out the easy way or the hard way!" I bellowed, through gritted teeth.

I heard a beeping sound in my ear. I knew what that meant. I needed to get these kids down and me down as well. I pushed Lily onto the couch and pulled Erica and Jenny down as multiple shots rang out through the window. I watched Steven fall face first to the ground with his eyes open.

Molly covered her mouth and backed up to the wall. She looked around in fright, and started running to the front of the house.

"Stay down" I whispered, assertively.

I stood up and began chasing her towards the front door. Molly ran out, and into the yard. Bella came out of nowhere and tackled Molly down to the ground. I looked up to see Rose standing in the middle of Wendy and Patricia.

The lieutenant ran towards us and pulled Molly to her feet. Bella looked at me with wide eyes as I nodded yes. She relaxed before turning to smile at the desperate mothers. Bella and I walked into the house, to see all three little girls laying on the floor covering their heads.

"Hi" Bella greeted, grinning at each of them.

"Hello" Jenny whispered, holding onto Lily and Erica's hand.

"Are you girls ready to see your parents" Bella exclaimed, holding her hands out.

Jenny and Erica immediately grabbed her hand as Bella led them out of the house.

"Lily are you ready" I wondered, holding my hand out for her.

"Mommy and daddy are going to be mad at me" Lily whispered, holding the tissue against her bloody nose.

"Why would you think that" I questioned, stooping down to be eye level with her.

"Because I didn't protect Nina! She's gone! Mommy says when people die they go to a place called heaven, and no one is allowed to visit" Lily cried out, as her bottom lip trembled.

"They don't care about me! They don't love me! They didn't look for me! I want to live with you because you're a police officer and police officers are suppose to protect people! I don't want them! They don't love me anymore!" Lily mumbled, as her lip continued to tremble.

"Your mommy and daddy love you very much! Everyone misses you! Your grandma and grandpa! Your uncle Jasper and aunt Alice! Even your brothers and cousins" I whispered, rubbing her back.

"Lily your parents are out there crying because they thought the worse has happened. Go out there and show them you are okay" I whispered, holding my hand out to her.

Lily hesitated before placing her small bloodied hand in mine. I pulled her towards me before opening the front door. I saw the Stevensons' gathered around Erica praising her and the Cunninghams' gathered around Jenny praising her as well. Rose began to cry even harder as she became nervous waiting for Lily.

**Lily:**

The police officer walked me out of the house. I saw my dad holding my mom in his arms, before my mother looked at me.

"Lily!" my mom shouted, getting out of my dad's arms.

"Lillian!" my mom yelled, walking towards me.

I looked up at Edward, and he squeezed my hand before telling me it's going to be okay. I felt my mom pick me up in her arms and hold me against her body. Edward smiled at me as Bella came to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Baby I love you so much" my mom whispered, placing kisses all around my face.

When my mother put me back down I looked up to see dad running to me. I felt him scoop me up as grandma, grandpa, Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Claire, Collin, Peter, Joshua, Sam, and Jared all running towards me. Everyone was talking at the same time so I couldn't understand what they were saying.

"What happened to your nose" grandma shrieked, pulling me from my dad's arms into hers.

"The man hit me" I mumbled, before wiping my eyes.

"Oh sweetie" grandma sighed, before pecking my cheek.

"Grandma I want to go home" I whispered, as she set me back down.

"Alright" grandma replied, pecking my cheek again.

I turned to face grandpa as he gave me one of his signature grins. He stooped down onto his knees and pulled me into his arms. I stayed in his arms for I don't know how long before he finally released me.

"Welcome back!" Claire exclaimed, rustling up my hair.

"She needs some rest" my mom whispered, grabbing my hand.

I saw Erica and Jenny staring at me, and they both smiled at me when I stared back. I waved at them causing them to wave back. My mom opened the back door for me and helped me get in before sliding in next to me. This is the first time my mother has ever rode in the back of a car.

"I love you Lily" my mom whispered, drawing the shape of a heart over my heart.

"With all of my heart" she added, pecking my forehead.

"I love you too my mommy" I whispered, drawing the shape of a heart over her heart.

"With all of my soul" I added, pecking her cheek.

**Review:**

**This is the end of the story! I hope you all enjoyed! I'm so sad to see it over, but now Rachel wants my help with ending hers, so I'm off to see Rachel. Oh, guess what.? It's my BIRTHDAY! Woo Hoo!**

**-Tiffany.**


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